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A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 


THE  FAITH  OF  OUR  FATHERS 
OUR  CHRISTIAN  HERITAGE 
THE  AMBASSADOR  OF  CHRIST 
DISCOURSES  AND  SERMONS 


A  RETROSPECT  OF 
FIFTY  YEARS 

BY 

JAMES  CARDINAL  GIBBONS 

ARCHBISHOP  OF  BALTIMORE 


VOLUME  n 


JOHN  MURPHY  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 
BALTIMORE  NEW  YORK 

R.  &  T.  "VTASHBOURNE,  Ltd. 
10  Paternoster  Row,  London,  and  at  Manchester,  Birmingham  and  Glasgow. 


COPYRIGHT,  1916,  BY  JOHN  MURPHY  COMPANY 

Entered  at  Stationer's  Hall,  London,  Englaud. 

ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 

PubliBhed  November  1916 


'73^' 

-  n 

V 

Prewof  JOHN  MURPHY  COMPANY.  Baltimore. 


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AFFECTIONA  TEL  Y  DEDICA  TED 

TO  THE 

"KtgDt  IReverenb  IRector 

AND  THE 

Benetactor0 

OF  THE 

CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY   OF   AMERICA 


CONTENTS 

PAGES 

Consecration  of  Baltimore  Cathedral, 
May  25,  1876 1-16 

Eeminiscences  of  Baltimore  Cathedral    17-  29 

Centenary  Celebration  of  the  Archdio- 
cese OF  New  York 30-46 

Eucharistic  Congress  in  the  Westmin- 
ster Cathedral  (London) 47-  67 

Dedication     of     St.     Mary's     Church, 
HoBOKEN,  N.  J .    68-  78 

Personal   Eeminiscences   of   Pope   Eeo 
XIII 79-91 

The  Conclave  Which  Elected  Pius  X     .     92-102 

The    Golden    Jubilee    of    Archbishop 
Elder  of  Cincinnati 103-115 

The    Golden    Jubilee    of    Archbishop 

Williams  of  Boston 116-124 

vu 


Tiii  CONTENTS 

The  Golden  Jubilee  of  Bishop  Loughlin 
OF  Brooklyn,  N.  Y 125-138 

Cardinal  Gibbons'  Jubilee  Sermon    .     .  139-147 

Archbishop  Katzer's  Eeception  of  the 
Pallium 148-155 

The  Patronage  of  St.  Joseph    ....  156-169 

The  Apostolic  Mission  of  the  Irish  Pace  170-189 

Silver  Jubilee  of  the  Catholic  Univer- 
sity   190-205 

Will  the  American  Republic  Endure?  .  206-215 

Discourse  at  the  Month's  Mind  of  Arch- 
bishop Spalding 216-233 

The  Funeral  of  General  Sheridan     .     .  234-242 

Address  at   the   Obsequies   of   Michael 

Jenkins,  Baltimore 243-248 

What  Is  A  Saint? 249-261 

Social  and  Domestic  Joys  of  Heaven  .    .         262 


CONSECRATION 

OF  THE 

BALTIMORE  CATHEDRAL 


SERMON  PREACHED  AT  THE  CONSECRATION 

OF  THE  BALTIMORE  CATHEDRAL  ON 

THE  FEAST  OF  THE  ASCENSION. 

MAY  25.  1876. 

"And  tlie  eleven  disciples  went  into  Gallilee,  unto  the 
mountain  where  Jesus  had  appointed  them.  And  seeing  Him, 
they  adored;  but  some  doubted.  And  Jesus  coming,  spoke  to 
them,  saying:  All  power  is  given  to  Me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations;  baptising 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost;  Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  you;  and,  behold,  I  am  with  you  all  days, 
even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world."    Matt,  xxviii.  16-20. 

ON  the  Feast  of  our  Lord's  ascension,  1821, 
this  Cathedral  was  dedicated  to  Almighty 
God,  by  Archbishop  Marechal,  in  presence 
of  a  large  concourse  of  clergy  and  people;  and 
today  you  have  witnessed  its  solemn  consecration. 
To  those  who  would  ask  why  so  long  an  interval  as 
fifty-five  years  should  elapse  between  its  dedication 
and  its  consecration,  the  best  answer  I  can  give  is, 
that  the  Church,  like  God,  is  patient,  because  she 
is  eternal.  Though  always  active  and  expeditious, 
she  is  never  in  a  hurry  because  she  is  destined  to 
last  forever. 

The  passage  of  Holy  Scripture,  which  I  have 

1 


2  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

taken  as  my  text  contains  the  last  words  recorded 
of  our  Saviour  in  St.  Matthew's  Gospel,  before 
His  ascension  into  heaven.  They  embody  an  im- 
portant and  marvellous  prediction,  namely,  that 
Jesus  Christ  shall  be  with  His  Church  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world ;  consequently  that  as  long  as 
this  world  shall  last,  the  Catholic  Church  will  be 
represented  upon  this  terrestrial  globe,  and  that 
she  will  ever  be  guarded  and  guided  by  Him  who 
first  established  her. 

The  indestructibility  of  the  Church  is  un- 
paralleled in  the  annals  of  civil  or  ecclesiastical 
history.  She  is  the  only  institution  that  has  pre- 
served her  life,  her  vigor  and  her  autonomy  unim- 
paired for  eighteen  centuries. 

The  perpetuity  of  the  Church  is  the  more  mar- 
vellous when  we  recall  to  mind,  the  number  and 
the  variety  and  the  formidable  character  of  the 
enemies  that  have  been  leagued  against  her  from 
her  birth  to  the  present  moment.  She  was  des- 
tined to  be  always  assailed,  but  conquered  never. 
This  fact  of  itself  stamps  divinity  on  her  brow. 

Go  back,  for  instance,  to  the  days  when  the 
cornerstone  of  this  venerable  Cathedral  was  laid. 
Those  that  contemplated  with  a  human  eye,  with- 
out any  regard  to  the  promises  of  Christ,  the  ter- 
rible ordeal  through  which  the  Church  was  then 
passing,  little  imagined  that  she  would  survive  to 
witness  the  consoling  spectacle  which  greets  you 


CONSECRATION  OF  CATHEDRAL  3 

here  this  morning.  Almost  the  very  year  in  which 
the  cornerstone  was  laid,  the  Pope  was  exiled  from 
his  See  and  country.  The  cardinals  were  scattered 
like  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  The  first 
Napoleon  was  trampling  on  the  French  Episcopate 
with  the  iron  heel  of  despotism.  He  threatened 
to  create  in  France,  a  national  and  schismatic 
church,  as  Henry  had  done  in  England.  He 
determined  to  attach  the  Pope  as  a  captive  or  as 
a  figure-head  to  his  triumphal  car. 

Today  Napoleon  and  his  dynasty  have  passed 
away.  The  storm  has  subsided.  The  Bishops  of 
France  and  of  Europe  are  more  firmly  united  than 
ever  to  the  rock  of  Peter.  And  here  we  are  peace- 
fully witnessing  the  Consecration  to  God  of  this 
noble  edifice,  in  the  midst  of  an  immense,  enlight- 
ened, sympathizing  and  enthusiastic  congregation, 
upon  a  spot  too  which  was  then  considered  as  one 
of  the  outposts  of  civilization. 

The  Church  has  been  constantly  engaged  in  a 
double  warfare — one  foreign ;  the  other,  domestic ; 
in  foreign  war  against  Paganism  and  infidelity ;  in 
domestic  strife  against  heresy  and  schism 
fomented  by  her  own  rebellious  children. 

I  have  time  to  touch  only  lightly  upon  two  or 
three  of  the  most  prominent  campaigns  in  which 
the  Church  has  been  engaged. 

From  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  she  commenced 
her  active  career,  to  the  victory  of  Constantine 


4  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

over  Maxentius,  at  the  Milvian  Bridge,  a  period 
embracing  two  hundred  and  eighty  years,  the 
Church  passed  through  a  series  of  ten  persecu- 
tions unequalled  for  atrocity,  in  the  annals  of 
history.  Every  torture  that  malice  could  invent, 
was  resorted  to,  that  all  vestiges  of  Christianity 
might  be  abolished.  Among  other  favorite  cruel- 
ties the  christians  were  sown  up  in  the  skins  of 
wild  beasts,  and  thus  exposed  to  be  devoured  by 
dogs.  They  were  besmeared  with  pitch,  and  set 
along  the  paths  that  their  burning  bodies  might 
serve  as  lamps  to  light  up  the  Garden  of  Nero. 
And  to  palliate  these  barbarities,  and  to  stifle 
every  sentiment  of  compassion  in  the  public 
breast,  their  persecutors  accused  the  christians  of 
the  most  appalling  crimes.  They  were  charged 
with  being  the  authors  of  every  public  calamity. 
If  the  Tiber  overflowed  its  banks ;  if  a  conflagra- 
tion occurred,  or  an  earthquake,  or  pestilence,  or 
famine,  the  detested  christian  sect  was  held 
responsibile,  and  had  to  pay  the  penalty  with 
their  lives.  And  so  certain  was  the  government 
of  Pagan  Eome  of  having  succeeded  in  extermin- 
ating Christianity,  that  one  of  the  emperors  had 
a  monument  erected  on  which  was  inscribed  its 
epitaph:  ' ' Christiano  nomine  deleto/'  *^To  the 
destruction  of  Christianity.'* 

And  yet  Pagan  Rome,  before  whose  standard 
the  mightiest  nations  quailed;  Rome,  compared 


CONSECRATION  OF  CATHEDRAL  5 

with  whose  extent  of  territory,  our  country  is  but 
a  province,  was  unable  to  crush  out  the  Church,  or 
even  to  arrest  her  progress.  In  a  short  time,  we 
see  this  collossal  empire  crumbling  to  pieces,  and 
the  Head  of  the  Christian  Church  dispensing  laws 
to  Christendom  in  the  very  city,  and  almost  on 
the  very  spot  from  which  the  imperial  Caesars  ful- 
minated their  edicts  against  Christianity. 

During  the  fifth  and  sixth  centuries,  the  Goths 
and  the  Vandals,  the  Huns,  Visigoths  and  Lom- 
bards, and  other  immense  tribes  of  Barbarians 
came  down  like  a  torrent,  from  the  North,  invading 
the  fairest  portions  of  Southern  Europe.  They  dis- 
membered the  Roman  Empire,  and  swept  away 
nearly  every  vestige  of  the  old  Eoman  civiliza- 
tion. They  plundered  cities,  levelled  churches, 
and  left  ruin  and  desolation  everywhere.  Yet 
though  conquering  for  a  while,  they  were  con- 
quered in  turn  by  submitting  to  the  sweet  yoke  of 
the  Gospel.  Thus,  even  as  the  infidel  Gibbon  is 
forced  to  avow,  ^*the  progress  of  Christianity  has 
been  marked  by  two  glorious  and  decisive  victor- 
ies :  over  the  learned  and  luxurious  citizens  of  the 
Roman  empire,  and  over  the  warlike  barbarians 
of  Scythia  and  Germany,  who  subverted  the 
empire  and  embraced  the  religion  of  the  Romans.  * ' 

I  will  not  stop  to  dwell  upon  that  terrible  con- 
flict in  which  the  Church  was  engaged  in  the 
fourth  and  fifth  centuries,  against  Arianism,  Nes- 


6  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

torianism  and  Eutichianism.  Nor  shall  I  speak 
of  that  still  more  terrible  conflict  extending  from 
the  seventh  to  the  sixteenth  centuries,  against 
Mohammedanism  which  well-nigh  succeeded  and 
would  have  succeeded  in  subverting  the  Chris- 
tianity and  civilization  of  Europe,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  vigilance  of  the  Popes.  And,  if  today,  the 
cross  instead  of  the  Crescent  surmounts  the  pin- 
nacles of  Europe,  and  if  those  nations  are  blessed 
by  the  healthy  influences  of  christian  civilization 
instead  of  groaning  under  Turkish  bondage,  they 
are  indebted  chiefly  to  the  Bishops  or  Eome,  who 
watched  with  sleepless  eyes  from  the  watch-towers 
of  Israel  over  the  welfare  of  Christendom. 

You  are  all  familiar  with  the  great  religious 
revolution  of  the  sixteenth  century  when  Prot- 
estantism broke  like  a  deluge  over  Northern 
Europe  and  for  a  moment  it  seemed  as  if  nothing 
could  withstand  the  impact  of  that  shock.  Whole 
nations  were  swept  into  the  vortex  of  heresy. 
More  than  half  of  Germany;  Denmark,  Norway, 
Sweden,  England  and  Scotland  followed  each 
other  out  of  the  Church  in  quick  succession.  Even 
in  Catholic  France  the  faith  barely  escaped  extinc- 
tion. Ireland,  alone,  of  all  the  nations  of  the 
North,  remained  inviolably  attached  to  the  old 
religion. 

Let  us  now  calmly  survey  the  field,  after  the 
lapse  of  more  than  three  centuries,  when  the  din 


CONSECRATION  OF  CATHEDRAL  7 

and  smoke  of  battle  have  passed  away.  Let  us 
examine  the  condition  of  the  old  Church  after 
having  been  engaged  in  such  deadly  conflicts. 
We  see  her  numerically  stronger  than  she  ever 
was  in  any  previous  period  of  her  history.  The 
losses  she  sustained  in  the  Old  World,  have  been 
compensated  by  her  acquisitions  in  the  new.  She 
gtill  exists,  not  a  "Magni  nominis  umbra/'  not 
the  shadow  of  a  mighty  name,  but  in  all  her  integ- 
rity, more  compact,  more  united,  more  vigorous 
than  ever  she  was  before. 

But  mark  well,  my  Brethren,  it  is  not  in  her 
numbers  that  the  Church  relies,  nor  in  her  anti- 
quity, nor  in  her  glorious  history,  nor  in  her  past 
victories.  But  the  secret  of  her  strength  lies  in 
the  justice  of  her  cause.  She  knows  that  ^'the 
race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the 
strong.'^  She  says  to  her  opponents  what  Ga- 
maliel said  to  the  first  enemies  of  Christianity: 
''If  this  work  be  of  God,  you  cannot  overthrow  it.'' 
It  has  not  been  overthrown:  therefore  it  is  of 
God. 

I  would  now  ask  those  that  are  plotting  and 
predicting  the  destruction  of  the  Church:  How 
can  you  hope  to  overthrow  an  Institution  which 
for  more  than  eighteen  centuries,  has  successfully 
resisted  the  combined  assaults  of  the  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  powers  of  darkness?  What  means 
can  you  employ  to  compass  her  ruin? 


8  A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

Is  it  the  power  of  Kings  and  Prime  Ministers! 
They  have  already  tried  in  vain  to  crush  her, 
from  the  days  of  the  Koman  Caesars  to  the  present 
Chancellor  of  Germany.  *     Many  persons  labor 
under  the  erroneous  impression  that  the  crowned 
heads  of  Europe  have  been  the  unvarying  bul- 
warks of  the  Church,  and  that  she  could  not  sub- 
sist without  them.    The  truth  is,  her  worst  enemies 
have  been,  with  some  honorable  exceptions,  so- 
called  christian  princes.    They  wished  to  be  gov- 
erned by  no  law,  but  their  passion  and  caprice. 
They  chafed  under  the  salutary  discipline  of  the 
Church,  and  wished  to  be  rid  of  her,  because  she 
alone  in  times  of  oppression,  had  the  power  .and 
the  courage  to  stand  by  the  people.    She  planted 
herself  like  a  wall  of  brass,  against  the  encroach- 
ments of  their  rulers  and  said  to  them:     *'Thus 
far  thou  shalt  go  and  no  farther,  and  here  thou 
shalt  break  thy  swelling  waves''  of  pride.     She 
told  them,  ''That  if  the  people  have  their  obliga- 
tions, they  have  their  rights  too.     That  if  they 
must  render  to  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Coesar's, 
Caesar  must  render  to  God  the  things  that  are 
God's.'' 

Is  she  unable  to  cope  with  modern  inventions, 
and  the  progress  of  the  nineteenth  century?  We 
are  often  told  so.  But  far  from  hiding  our  heads 
like  the  ostrich  in  the  sand,  at  the  approach  of 

•  The  late  Prince  Bismark. 


CONSECRATION  OF  CATHEDRAL  9 

these  inventions  and  discoveries,  we  liail  tliem  as 
messengers  of  God,  and  we  will  use  them  as  provi- 
dential instruments  for  the  further  propagation  of 
the  Gospel. 

If  we  succeeded  so  well  before  when  we  had  no 
ships  but  frail  canoes;  no  compass  but  our  eyes; 
when  we  had  no  roads  but  eternal  snows,  virgin 
forests  and  desert  wastes ;  when  we  had  no  guide 
save  faith  and  hope  in  God — if  even  then  we  suc- 
ceeded so  well  in  carrying  the  faith  to  the  confines 
of  the  earth,  how  much  more  can  we  do  now  by 
the  aid  of  telegraph,  steamships  and  railroads? 
The  utility  of  modern  inventions  to  the  Church, 
was  lately  manifested  in  a  conspicuous  manner. 
The  Pope  called  a  Council  of  the  Bishops  of  the 
world.    Without  the  aid  of  steam,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  for  them  to  assemble  at  a  given 
time.    But  by  its  aid  they  were  able  to  meet  to- 
gether from  the  uttermost  bounds  of  the  earth. 
But  may  not  the  light  of  the  Church  grow  pale, 
and  be  utterly  extinguished  by  the  intellectual 
blaze  of  the  nineteenth  century?     Has  she  not 
much    to    fear    from    literature,    the    arts    and 
sciences.    What  has  she  to  fear  in  that  direction, 
since  she  has  always  been  the  patroness  of  learn- 
ing, and  the  fostering  mother  of  the  arts  and 
sciences?     Without  her  we   would  be   deprived 
today  of  the  priceless  treasures  of  ancient  litera- 
ture.   It  was  she,  as  Hallam  has  the  honesty  to 


10  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

testify,  that  built  the  bridge  which  connects  the 
present  with  the  past.  Without  her,  we  would 
know  as  little  today  of  the  ancient  history  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  as  we  know  about  the  pyramids 
of  Egypt.  She  founded  and  endowed  nearly  all 
the  great  Universities  of  Europe.  And  as  for 
works  of  art,  there  are  more  valuable  artistic 
monuments  in  the  single  Museum  of  the  Vatican, 
than  are  to  be  found  in  the  whole  United  States. 
Her  churches  are  not  only  temples  of  worship, 
but  also  depositories  of  sacred  art. 

Is  it  constitutional  liberty  that  will  destroy  the 
Church?  Give  us  but  liberty  and  we  are  content. 
The  Church  breathes  freely  and  expands  only 
where  true  liberty  is  found.  She  is  always 
cramped  where  despotism  casts  its  dark  shadow. 
No  where  does  she  enjoy  more  independence  than 
here.  No  where  is  she  more  vigorous  or  more 
prosperous. 

Children  of  the  Church,  fear  nothing,  happen 
what  will.  Christ  is  with  His  Church.  Therefore 
she  shall  never  fail.  Caesar  on  crossing  the  stormy 
Adriatic,  said  to  the  troubled  oarsman:  ^'Quid 
times y  Ccesarem  veliis/'  Fear  not,  Caesar  is  on 
board.  AVhat  Caesar  said  in  presumption,  Jesus 
says  with  truth.  ^'0  thou  of  little  faith,  why  dost 
thou  doubt  r' 

The  Church  has  seen  the  birth  of  every  govern- 


CONSECRATION  OF  CATHEDRAL  11 

ment  of  Europe,  and  it  is  not  impossible  that  slie 
shall  also  witness  the  death  of  them  all  and  chant 
their  requiem.  She  was  more  than  fourteen  hun- 
dred years  old  when  Columbus  discovered  this 
continent,  and  the  foundation  of  our  glorious 
Eepublic,  is  to  her  but  as  yesterday. 

May  the  God  of  Israel  who  is  with  His  Church, 
be  also  with  our  beloved  Republic.  It  is  not  our 
habit  to  make  fulsome  professions  of  loyalty  to 
our  country.  Our  devotion  to  her  is  too  deep,  too 
sincere,  too  sacred  to  be  wasted  away  in  idle 
declamation.  We  prove  our  loyalty  not  by  words 
but  by  acts.  But  I  am  sure  that  I  am  expressing  the 
sentiment  of  your  hearts  when  I  offer  the  fervent 
prayer,  that  this  nation  may  survive  to  celebrate 
her  tenth  centennial  and  more ;  that  as  she  grows 
in  strength  and  years,  she  may  grow  in  righteous- 
ness and  wisdom,  the  only  stable  foundation  of 
any  government,  and  that  the  motto,  esto  perpetua 
may  be  fufilled  in  her. 

^  Blessed  be  God,  the  vitality  and  growth  which 
have  characterized  the  history  of  the  universal 
Church,  have  also  marked  the  progress  of  the 
Church  in  the  United  States. 

Let  us  contrast  the  condition  of  Catholicity  in 
1806  when  the  cornerstone  of  this  Cathedral  was 
laid,  with  its  present  situation  after  a  lapse  of 
seventy  years. 


12  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAKS 

In  1806,  there  was  but  one  diocese  in  the  United 
States,  comprising  the  thirteen  original  colonies, 
with  Bishop  Carroll  at  its  head.  There  was  but 
a  handful  of  priests  scattered  far  and  wide  over 
this  immense  territory,  and  maintaining  an 
unequal  struggle  with  ignorance,  vice  and  infidel- 
ity. A  few  modest  chapels  were  planted  here  and 
there,  called  churches  by  courtesy.  A  few  thou- 
sand souls  comprised  the  entire  Catholic  popula- 
tion, without  wealth,  without  influence  and,  what 
is  more  essential,  without  organization.  There 
was  scarcely  a  parochial  school  in  the  whole  coun- 
try. There  were  but  two  literary  institutions  to 
console  the  heart  of  Dr.  Carroll,  St.  Mary's,  Bal- 
timore, and  Georgetown  College.  These  were  the 
solitary  faithful  sisters,  devoted  daughters  of  the 
same  spiritual  Mother.  Well  could  they  be  com- 
pared to  the  Mary  and  Martha  of  the  Gospel.  The 
Fathers  of  St.  Mary's,  like  Mary  of  old,  were  fond 
of  kneeling  in  silent  prayer  and  meditation,  at  the 
feet  of  Jesus ;  while  the  sturdy  fathers  of  George- 
town, like  Martha,  without  neglecting  the  duties 
of  Mary,  served  the  Lord  in  the  public  ministry. 

What  is  the  present  condition  of  the  Church? 
We  count  sixty-seven  Bishops,  upwards  of  five 
thousand  priests,  six  thousand  five  hundred 
churches  and  chapels,  one  thousand  seven  hundred 
Parish  schools,  with  an  aggregate  attendance  of 


CONSECRATION  OF  CATHEDRAL  13 

nearly  half  a  million  of  pupils,  and  a  Catholic 
population  exceeding  six  millions.* 

What  has  been  already  done,  gives  us  a  hope- 
ful assurance  of  what  will  be  accomplished  in  the 
future,  if  we  are  only  faithful  in  walking  in  the 
footsteps  of  our  sires.  The  Providence  of  God  has 
signally  aided  us  in  the  past,  by  wafting  emigrants 
to  our  shores.  It  is  for  us  now  to  co-operate  with 
heaven  by  building  iip  the  walls  of  Sion  whose 
broad  foundations  have  been  laid  by  our  fathers. 

I  congratulate,  you  Most  Reverend  Father,  and 
your  faithful  clergy  on  the  great  work  that  has 
been  consummated  today.  It  was  eminently 
proper,  as  the  early  Church  of  America  and  its 
first  Bishop  figured  so  loyally  and  so  conspicu- 
ously at  the  foundation  of  our  Eepublic,  that  the 
successor  of  Carroll  should  signalize  this  centen- 
nial year  by  a  solemn  celebration  which  would 
redound  at  the  same  time,  to  the  honor  of  God  and 
the  welfare  of  Fatherland.  Yes,  for  the  welfare 
of  Fatherland;  for  every  church  that  is  conse- 
crated, is  not  only  a  temple  for  the  worship  of 

*At  the  present  time  (1916)  the  statistics  of  the  American 
Church  are  as  follows:  14  Archbishops  (including  3  Car- 
dinals), 97  Bishops,  19,572  Priests;  15,163  Churches  and  Chap- 
els; 5588  Parish  Schools;  85  Seminaries;  210  Colleges,  685 
Academies,  with  an  attendance  of  1,504,149  pupils,  and  a 
Catholic  population  of  16,564,109,  which  js  an  increase  of 
over  10,000,000  in  forty  years,  and  an  average  increase  of  over 
a  quarter  of  a  million  a  year. 


U  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

God,  but  also  a  new  bulwark  of  strength  to  the 
nation,  and  a  new  propagator  of  peace,  happiness 
and  civilization. 

I  congratulate  you  also,  children  of  the  laity. 
Your  fathers  longed  to  see  this  day.  They  see  it 
from  heaven  and  are  glad.  We  cannot  withhold 
our  admiration  when  we  contemplate  your  ances- 
tors, so  few  in  numbers,  projecting  and  accom- 
plishing this  colossal  undertaking.  Truly  there 
were  giants  in  those  days.  "These  were  men  of 
renown.''  And  if  they  deserve  much  praise  for 
undertaking  so  great  a  work,  no  small  praise  is 
due  to  you  for  cancelling  its  debt.  Today,  for  the 
first  time,  you  can  say  in  the  language  of  the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles:  ^'Jeriisalem  quce  est 
mater  nostra,  libera  est.''  Jerusalem,  our  Mother 
is  free — free  from  the  burden  of  debt,  which 
pressed  upon  her  from  her  infancy.  You  have 
struck  the  shackles  from  her  feet.  It  is  fitting  that 
the  mother  of  free-born  children  of  God  should 
be  made  free  from  the  bondage  of  debt,  in  this 
year  when  we  are  celebrating  the  centennial  of 
our  national  independence. 

What  hallowed  recollections  cluster  around 
this  majestic  Cathedral !  How  many  sacred  asso- 
ciations are  connected  with  it.  This  Church  is  the 
spiritual  focus  from  which  have  emanated  the 
light  and  heL.  of  Apostolic  faith  and  charity  to 
very  distant  parts  of  the  country. 


CONSECRATION  OF  CATHEDRAL  15 

How  many  holy  Bishops  have  received  their 
Episcopal  commission  within  these  sacred  walls. 
How  many  zealous  priests  have  here  been  em- 
powered to  go  forth  in  the  power  of  Christ  to 
gather  together  a  great  flock  to  the  praise  of  His 
Holy  Name.  How  many  illustrious  prelates  and 
priests  have  preached  in  this  sacred  edifice  within 
the  last  fifty  years!  How  often  have  the  voices 
of  an  England,  a  Hughes  and  a  Eyder,  resounded 
beneath  this  dome.  That  chair  has  been  succes- 
sively filled  by  a  Marechal,  a  Whitfield,  an  Eo- 
cleston,  a  Kendrick  and  a  Spalding,  and  when  I 
mention  them  I  mention  the  brightest  constella- 
tion of  names  that  has  ever  illustrated  the  Ameri- 
can hierarchy. 

But  this  church  has  been  also  the  center  of  what 
might  be  called  the  organized  side  of  the  church's 
life.  Here  all  the  first  Councils  were  held  in  the 
days  when  the  National  Church  formed  only  one 
diocese,  then  only  one  province :  and  later,  when 
it  had  become  a  collection  of  dioceses  and  prov- 
inces, whatever  national  councils  have  been  held 
in  America  have  been  held  within  her  sacred  walls ; 
so  that  not  only  has  grace  and  life  gone  forth  from 
this  great  building,  but  from  this  cathedral,  as 
from  the  center  of  the  life  of  the  American 
Church,  has  gone  forth  whatever  there  is  of  purely 
American  ecclesiastical  law.  This  sacred  edifice 
must  be  dear  then  to  the  hearts  of  every  American 


16  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

Catholic,  what  must  it  be  to  you,  oh.  Catholics  of 
Baltimore ! 

I  said  that  you  have  paid  the  debt  of  this  Ca- 
thedral. But  there  remains  another  debt  yet  un- 
paid, and  which  you  can  liquidate  only  with  your 
last  breath.  I  refer  to  the  everlasting  debt  of 
gratitude  which  you  owe  to  this  Mother,  for  the 
faith  she  has  taught  your  fathers,  yourselves  and 
your  children. 

Pay  her  every  day  this  debt  of  your  gratitude, 
your  love  and  affection.  Pay  her  the  debt  of  your 
homage,  your  reverence,  and  your  filial  obedience. 

Pay  her  each  day,  the  debt  of  your  good  ex- 
ample. Adorn  the  interior  of  this  edifice  by  the 
purity  of  your  lives,  and  the  splendor  of  your 
virtues. 

Pay  her  the  debt  of  your  daily  service.  Take 
an  active,  personal  interest  in  her  welfare.  Keg- 
ister  this  sacred  vow  today  in  your  hearts,  and 
say:  *^If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my  right 
hand  be  forgotten.  Let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the 
roof  of  my  mouth,  if  I  do  not  remember  thee ;  if 
I  make  not  Jerusalem  the  beginning  of  my  joy.'* 


REMINISCENCES 

OF  THE 

BALTIMORE  CATHEDRAL 


REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  CATHEDRAL 

OF  BALTIMORE,  PREACHED  ON 

THE  FIRST  SUNDAY  OF 

DECEMBER.  1905. 

ON  the  twenty-nintli  of  April,  1906,  tlie  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  laying  of  the 
corner-stone  of  this  Cathedral  will  be 
solemnly  commemorated,  and  all  the  Prelates  of 
the  United  States  will  be  invited  to  honor  the 
occasion  by  their  presence.  In  celebrating  this 
event,  the  name  of  Archbishop  Carroll  will  natur- 
ally occupy  a  conspicuous  place. 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1789,  His  Holiness, 
Pius  VI,  issued  a  Bull  creating  the  hierarchy  of 
the  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States,  and 
appointing  the  Rev.  John  Carroll  the  first  Bishop 
of  Baltimore,  whose  Episcopal  jurisdiction  ex- 
tended over  all  the  territory  then  comprised  in 
the  Federal  Union. 

He  was  consecrated  by  the  Venerable  Bishop 
Walmesley,  Vicar-Apostolic  of  the  London  Dis- 
trict, on  the  15th  of  August,  1790,  and  soon  after- 
wards he  set  out  for  Baltimore  where  he  arrived 

17 


18  A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

on  the  7th  of  December.  After  occupying  this  See 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  he  died  full  of  years 
and  merits,  December  3,  1815,  in  the  eighty-first 
year  of  his  age. 

The  history  of  Archbishop  Carroll's  administra- 
tion clearly  shows  that  his  appointment  was  not 
only  a  wise  and  judicious,  but  an  especially  provi- 
dential one.  Gifted  by  nature  with  talents  of  a 
high  order,  he  improved  and  developed  those  tal- 
ents by  a  long  course  of  studies  in  one  of  the  best 
colleges  of  Europe,  and,  even  among  the  brilliant 
scholars  of  St.  Omer's,  he  won  a  high  reputation 
for  learning. 

ArchbishoiD  Carroll  united  in  his  person  the 
triple  character  of  an  ardent  patriot,  a  zealous 
prelate,  and  an  accomplished  christian  gentle- 
man. His  devotion  to  his  country's  cause  gained 
for  him  the  confidence  of  the  revolutionary  leaders ; 
his  apostolic  labors  commanded  the  love  and  ven- 
eration of  the  faithful,  and  his  benevolent  disposi- 
tion and  gentle  manners  won  the  hearts  of  all  his 
fellow-citizens  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

Living  in  the  midst  of  the  Eevolution,  animated 
by  its  spirit,  and  zealous  for  its  triumph,  so  strong 
was  the  trust  reposed  in  his  loyalty  and  judgment 
that  he  was  commissioned  by  the  Continental  Con- 
gress to  accompany  his  friend,  Benjamin  Franklin, 
his  cousin,  Charles  Carroll  and  Samuel  Chase  on  a 
delicate  and  important  mission  to  Canada. 


EEMINISCENCES  OF  THE  CATHEDRAL      19 

The  Catholic  religion  subsists  and  expands 
under  all  forms  of  government,  and  adapts  itself 
to  all  times  and  places  and  circumstances ;  and  this 
she  does  without  any  compromise  of  principle,  or 
any  derogation  from  the  supreme  authority  of  the 
Church,  or  any  shock  to  the  individual  conscience. 
For,  while  the  truths  of  faith  are  eternal  and  im- 
mutable, the  discipline  of  the  Church  is  change- 
able, just  as  man  himself  is  ever  the  same  in  his 
essential  characteristics,  while  his  dress  varies 
according  to  the  fashion  of  the  times. 

Archbishop  Carroll  was  thoroughly  conversant 
with  the  genius  of  our  political  Constitution,  and 
with  the  spirit  of  our  laws  and  system  of  govern- 
ment. He  was  therefore  admirably  fitted  for  the 
delicate  task  of  adjusting  the  discipline  of  the 
Church  to  the  requirements  of  our  civil  Constitu- 
tion. 

The  calm  judgment  of  posterity  recognizes  John 
Carroll  as  a  providential  agent  in  moulding  the 
diverse  elements  in  the  United  States  into  an 
organized  church.  He  did  not  wish  the  Church 
to  vegetate  as  a  delicate  exotic  plant;  he  wished 
it  to  become  a  sturdy  tree,  deep-rooted  in  the  soil, 
to  grow  with  the  growth  and  bloom  with  the 
development  of  the  country,  inured  to  its  climate, 
braving  its  storms  and  invigorated  by  them,  and 
yielding  abundantly  the  fruits  of  santification. 
Knowing  as  he  did,  the  mischief  bred  by  national 


20  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

rivalries,  liis  aim  was  that  the  clergy  and  people — 
no  matter  from  what  country  they  sprung — should 
be  thoroughly  identified  with  the  land  in  which 
their  lot  was  cast,  that  they  should  study  its  laws 
and  political  constitution,  and  be  in  harmony  with 
its  spirit;  in  a  word,  that  they  should  become  as 
soon  as  possible,  assimilated  to  the  social  body  in 
all  things  appertaining  to  the  domain  of  civil  life. 
The  more  we  study  his  life,  the  more  is  our 
admiration  for  this  great  Prelate  enhanced.  His 
*' solicitude  for  all  the  churches,"  his  anxiety  to 
provide  priests  for  the  widely-extended  missions, 
his  personal  visitation  of  the  scattered  members 
of  his  flock,  his  privations  and  fatigues,  his  efforts 
to  heal  dissensions,  to  allay  disputes  and  to  avert 
schisms,  his  earnest  though  well-tempered  vindi- 
cation of  the  Catholic  religion  against  the  misrep- 
resentations of  her  assailants — how  vividly  these 
complex  labors  of  the  Archbishop  recall  the  trials 
and  vicissitudes  of  the  Bishops  of  the  primitive 
Church.  Like  them  he  worked  amidst  a  poj^ula- 
tion  filled  with  prejudices  against  our  holy  religion: 
— at  the  best  fairly  tolerant ;  at  the  worst  violently 
unfriendly.  The  Penal  Laws  were  enforced  in  his 
youth;  he  could  remember  when  Catholicism  was 
the  proscribed  religion ;  he  had  no  assurance  that  it 
would  not  become  a  proscribed  religion  again.  That 
at  least  it  should  have  a  chance  in  the  English- 
speaking  world  was  the  aim  of  his  life,  and  to  this 


REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  CATHEDRAL      21 

end  he  used  every  advantage  and  gift  that  God  had 
given  him — birth,  station  and  learning — but  all 
these  would  have  been  of  no  avail  if  he  had  not 
added  to  them  the  piety  of  a  Christian  and  the  zeal 
of  a  holy  prelate. 

For  this  reason  he  was  not  only  assiduous  in 
the  care  of  his  own  flock,  but  he  never  forgot 
the  duties  of  Christian  charity  he  owed  to  those 
who  were  not  of  the  household  of  the  faith.  His 
social  relations  with  the  Protestant  clergy  and 
laity  of  Baltimore  were  of  a  most  friendly  and 
cordial  character.  The  veneration  in  which  he 
was  held  by  all  his  fellow-citizens  was  amply  at- 
tested by  the  uniform  marks  of  respect  exhibited 
toward  him  during  his  long  administration  and 
particularly  by  the  genuine  outpouring  of  grief 
and  the  warm  tributes  of  affection  paid  to  his 
memory  at  the  close  of  his  earthly  career. 

In  surveying  his  life,  we  can  truly  say  that  John 
Carroll  was  the  man  for  the  occasion.  We  may 
with  propriety  apply  to  him  the  words  spoken  of 
John  the  Baptist:  ^^ There  was  a  man  sent  from 
God  whose  name  was  John.  This  man  came  for  a 
witness  to  bear  testimony  of  the  light.'' 

The  site  selected  for  the  new  Cathedral  was  pur- 
chased from  Governor  Howard,  of  Eevolutionary 
fame,  whose  equestrian  statue  adorns  Mount  Ver- 
non Place  in  this  city.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  William 
George  Bead,  was  a  convert  to  the  Catholic  Church 


22  A  EETEOSPECT  OP  FIFTY  YEAES 

and  for  many  years  a  devout  worshiper  in  the 
Cathedral,  and  a  zealous  member  of  the  Sanctuary 
Society.  The  architect  of  the  Cathedral  was  Ben- 
jamin Henry  Latrobe,  the  grandfather  of  our  dis- 
tinguished fellow-citizen,  Mr.  Ferdinand  C.  La- 
trobe. Mr.  Latrobe  had  also  designed  the  old  Cap- 
itol in  Washington. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  Cathedral  was  laid  by , 
Bishop  Carroll  on  the  7th  of  July,  1806.  "We  can 
form  some  idea  of  the  Bishop's  sublime  courage 
and  pious  audacity,  or  rather,  I  should  say,  of  his 
keen  foresight'  and  deep  penetration  in  undertak- 
ing this  gigantic  work,  when  we  take  into  account 
the  slender  resources  at  his  command,  and  the 
sparseness  of  the  population  of  our  city.  Balti- 
more, which  today  counts  nearly  600,000  souls,  at 
that  date  had  a  population  of  about  30,000,  and  the 
Catholic  community  hardly  amounted  to  5,000 
souls. 

The  granite  with  which  the  church  is  built  was 
brought  from  the  quarries  of  Ellicott  City  in  carts 
drawn  by  oxen.  The  work  of  construction  slowly 
but  steadily  progressed  till  1812,  when  it  was  inter- 
rupted by  the  war  with  England  which  continued 
from  1812  to  1815.  After  the  close  of  the  war, 
work  was  resumed  and  carried  on  till  the  comple- 
tion of  the  building  in  1821. 

On  the  31st  day  of  Mav,  1821,  the  sacred  edifice 
"was  dedicated  by  Archbishop  Mareschal.    About 


REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  CATIIEDEAL      23 

fifty  years  ago  the  portico  was  constructed  by 
Archbishop  Kenrick. 

Ou  Ascension  Thursday,  May  25,  1876,  the 
Cathedral  was  solemnly  consecrated  by  my  vener- 
able predecessor,  Archbishop  Bayley.  The  sacristy 
was  erected  in  1879,  and  the  building  was  enlarged 
and  the  new  sanctuary  added  in  1888,  during  my 
administration. 

Since  its  dedication  in  1821,  this  Cathedral  has 
been  the  scene  of  many  conspicuous  and  historical 
gatherings.  No  church  in  the  United  States  has 
witnessed  so  many  consecrations  of  Bishops  and 
ordinations  of  priests  as  have  taken  place  within 
these  walls.  Six  and  twenty  Bishops  have  been 
consecrated  before  this  altar,  and  many  of  these 
Prelates  have  occupied  a  leading  position  among 
the  American  Hierarchy.  I  might  mention  among 
others,  Whitfield  and  Eccleston  of  Baltimore, 
Fenwick  of  Boston,  Dubois  of  New  York,  Purcell 
and  Elder  of  Cincinnati,  Whelan  of  Wheeling, 
Gross  of  Oregon,  and  the  two  Foleys,  names  that 
are  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  the  clergy  and 
people  of  this  city.  Of  the  twenty-six  Bishops  that 
have  been  raised  here  to  the  Episcopal  rank,  I  have 
had  the  privilege  of  consecrating  ten. 

Since  my  advent  to  Baltimore  as  your  Arch- 
bishop, I  have  ordained  one  thousand  two  hundred 
and  fifty-six  priests,  of  whom  five  hundred  and 


24:  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

eighty-six  received  Sacred  Orders  beneath  this 
dome. 

In  this  church  three  Prelates  were  invested  with 
the  insignia  of  cardinalitial  rank.  In  1895  I  was 
delegated  by  His  Holiness  Leo  XIII  to  confer  the 
Biretta  on  his  Eminence,  Cardinal  Satolli.  Six 
years  later,  I  performed  a  similar  office  in  behalf 
of  his  Eminence,  Cardinal  Martinelli. 

This  venerable  temple  has  been  the  great  Hall 
of  legislation  for  the  Church  of  the  United  States. 
Ten  Provincial  Councils  and  three  plenary  or 
National  Councils  were  assembled  here.  Most 
Eeverend  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick  presided  over 
the  first  National  Council  in  1852.  Archbishop 
Spalding  presided  at  the  Second  National  Council 
in  1866,  and  I  had  the  honor  to  preside  over  the 
Third  National  Council  in  1884.  This  last  Council 
was  attended  by  seventy-eight  Bishops  and  Abbots, 
and  by  the  leading  clergy  of  the  country. 

But  this  Church  is  not  only  a  temple  of  worship 
for  the  living,  it  is  also  a  mausoleum  for  the  sacred 
custody  of  the  dead.  Wlien  you  visit  this  shrine, 
you  have  a  double  duty  to  perform;  you  should 
not  only  adore  your  immortal  Saviour  reposing  in 
the  Tabernacle,  you  should  also  pray  for  the  souls 
of  the  deceased  Archbishops  whose  mortal  remains 
are  interred  beneath  the  sanctuary.  In  the  crypt 
Tinder  the  high  altar  are  deposited  the  ashes  of 


KEMINISCENCES  OF  THE  CATHEDRAL      25 

Carroll  and  Mareschal,  of  Whitfield  and  Eccleston, 
of  Kenrick  and  Spalding. 

Many  of  our  American  citizens  are  in  the  habit 
every  year  of  making  pilgrimages  to  Mount 
Vernon  to  view  the  spot  where  the  Father  of  his 
Country  is  buried.  And  many  a  citizen  of  the 
Eepublic  of  the  Church  is  piously  drawn  to  this 
temple  that  he  might  contemplate  the  last  resting 
place  of  the  Patriarch  of  the  American  Church. 

If  the  patriotism  of  the  American  citizen  is 
awakened  and  quickened  by  the  sight  of  Wash- 
ington's grave,  surely  the  zeal  and  devotion  of  the 
Christian  ought  to  be  stimulated  when  he  reflects 
that  he  is  standing  under  the  roof  which  shelters 
the  remains  of  the  first  Bishop  of  the  country. 

As  for  myself,  I  need  not  tell  you  that  my  most 
hallowed  associations  are  entwined  around  this 
venerable  Cathedral.  Every  atom  of  the  building 
is  sacred  to  me.  It  was  in  this  church  that  I  was 
regenerated  in  the  waters  of  Baptism  at  the  hands 
of  the  venerated  Doctor  White.  Under  its  shadow 
I  was  raised  to  the  priesthood.  In  this  temple  I 
was  consecrated  Bishop  by  Archbishop  Spalding 
of  happy  memory.  It  was  here  that  the  insignia 
of  Cardinalitial  rank  were  conferred  on  me  by  a 
representative  of  Leo  XIII.  Here  I  have  labored 
as  a  priest  and  Prelate  for  thirty-two  years.  I 
intend  to  continue  to  offer  the  Holy  Sacrifice  and 
to  preach  within  these  walls  as  long  as  God  will 


26  A  RETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

give  me  life  and  strength.  And  when  my  earthly 
career  is  ended,  which  in  the  course  of  nature  and 
the  order  of  Providence,  is  not  far  distant,  I  expect 
that  my  body  will  repose  in  this  crypt  beside  the 
ashes  of  my  illustrious  predecessors,  and  I  hope 
it  may  there  remain  undisturbed,  if  God  so  wills  it, 
till  the  glorious  dawn  of  Eesurrection. 

You  are  all  aware  that  the  Cathedral  no  longer 
enjoys  the  seclusion  from  the  noise  and  din  of 
business  which  she  formerly  possessed.  Already 
the  waves  of  commerce  are  fast  approaching  her, 
and  are  almost  beating  against  her  sides.  Never- 
theless, here  she  stands,  lifting  up  her  majestic 
and  gilded  dome,  as  a  living  witness  to  the  fact 
that  the  peace  of  God  need  not  be  lost  even  amid 
the  din  of  worldly  traffic,  for  it  appears  to  me  that 
the  presence  of  this  temple  of  peace  and  worship, 
amid  the  sound  and  strife  of  worldly  pursuits,  is 
calculated  to  exert  a  sobering  and  tranquilizing 
effect  on  the  bustling  and  feverish  multiude,  and 
a  voice  from  the  dome  seems  to  repeat  to  them 
what  Christ  said  to  the  troubled  waves:  ** Peace, 
be  still. ' ' 

And  while  the  eager  crowd  outside  are  worship- 
ing at  the  altar  of  Mammon,  you  will  always  find 
inside  some  devout  souls  who  are  worshiping  at 
the  Altar  of  God.  In  my  experience  of  over  thirty 
years,  I  can  hardly  remember  ever  to  have  visited 
the  Cathedral  without  observing  at  least  a  few 


REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  CATHEDRAL     27 

persons  silently  praying  in  some  nook  or  recess 
of  the  sacred  edifice.  Like  Moses  who  prayed 
effectually  on  the  Mount  while  Josue  and  his  hosts 
were  fighting  in  the  valley,  these  servants  of  God 
are  drawing  down  blessings  from  Heaven  on  them- 
selves and  this  devoted  city,  while  their  brethren 
are  fighting  the  battle  of  life. 

You  will  find  other  sanctuaries  in  our  country 
more  spacious  than  this,  but  you  will  find  none  that 
have  held  at  one  time  so  many  illustrious  Prelates. 
You  will  find  other  caskets  more  rich  and  ornate 
than  this,  but  none  in  which  have  been  set  so  many 
precious  jewels  of  the  faith.  There  are  other 
cathedrals  more  ample  than  yours — ^many  daugh- 
ters there  are  who  have  outstripped  the  mother 
in  majesty  of  size,  in  the  number  of  their  progeny 
and  the  accumulation  of  wealth.  But  you  will  find 
none  equal  to  the  mother  in  the  splendor  of  ec- 
clesiastical traditions.  You  can  truly  say  of  this 
mother  in  the  words  of  Holy  Writ:  ^^Multce  filice 
congregaverunt  divitias,  Tu  supergressa  es  uni- 
versas'^ — *' Many  daughters  have  gathered  wealth, 
thou  0  Mother,  hast  surpassed  them  all"  in  the 
sweet  and  rich  memories  that  hang  around  thy 
sacred  brow.  And  there  are  none  more  willing  to 
pay  this  affectionate  homage  to  the  mother  than 
the  daughters  themselves.  The  Bishops,  their 
faithful  spouses,  will  come  from  the  North,  from 
the  South,  from  the  East  and  West,  to  join  with 


28  A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

you  in  rendering  to  her  their  filial  reverence  and 
love. 

What  Mecca  is  to  the  Mohammedan,  what  the 
Temple  of  Jerusalem  is  to  the  Israelite,  what  St. 
Peter's  Basilica  in  Eome  is  to  the  faithful  of  the 
Church  Universal,  this  Cathedral  is  to  the  Amer- 
ican Catholic. 

My  brethren,  you  owe  a  double  debt  which  I 
believe  you  will  joyfully  repay.  You  owe  a  debt 
of  gratitude  to  your  fathers  in  the  faith,  and  to 
your  fathers  according  to  the  flesh  for  erecting  this 
Church  with  their  limited  numbers  and  resources. 
Should  we  not,  therefore,  try  to  imitate  their 
sturdy  faith  and  their  undaunted  courage  1 

In  this  sacred  temple  many  of  you  received  the 
grace  of  baptism.  Here  you  have  assembled  to 
pray  Sunday  after  Sunday.  Here  you  have  often 
partaken  of  the  Banquet  of  the  Lord.  For  well- 
nigh  a  century,  you  and  your  forefathers  have 
been  coming  to  this  Cathedral  to  hear  the  Word  of 
God.  Amid  the  violence  of  party  strife,  amid 
social  upheavals  and  political  revolutions,  you 
have  listened  here  Sunday  after  Sunday  to  the 
same  message  of  peace  and  love.  When  you 
entered  here  you  felt  that  you  breathed  an  atmos- 
phere of  tranquility.  The  same  Gospel  that  Christ 
preached  in  the  flesh,  the  same  Decalogue  that 
Moses  gave  from  Mount  Sinai,  that  is  the  message- 
which  was  announced  to  you  from  January  to 


REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  CATHEDRAL      29 

December.  Be  grateful  for  this  priceless  legacy- 
left  you  by  your  fathers,  and  resolve  to  remember 
them  in  your  prayers  when  you  appear  before  the 
Altar  of  God.  When  they  beheld  the  great  sum— 
and  it  was  a  great  sum  of  money  in  those  days — 
which  must  lie  upon  their  Cathedral  Church  as  a 
debt,  they  must  often  have  wondered  when  it  would 
be  paid.  We  are  happy  now  in  the  thought  that 
we  have  finished  the  work  which  they  had  the 
courage  to  undertake.  The  debt  was  long  ago  paid, 
this  venerable  building  consecrated — ^^  Jerusalem, 
our  Mother,  is  free.'' 

My  brethren,  was  it  not  meet  and  just  that  after 
the  difficulties  and  struggles  of  the  greaterpart  of  a 
century,  when  this  Cathedral  came  forth  as  a  bride 
to  meet  her  heavenly  Bridegroom,  clothed  in  gorge- 
ous apparel,  was  it  not  proper  that  she  should  say 
to  her  roval  Spouse — ^^  Behold  these  beautiful 
robes  with  which  I  am  adorned  are  all  my  own. 
They  are  the  gift  of  Thy  children  and  of  mine. 
My  heart  is  light,  and  my  face  is  joyous,  because 
I  am  not  oppressed  by  the  incubus  of  debt."  And 
the  Bridegroom  will  exclaim:  ^'Behold  the  taber- 
nacle of  God  with  men,  and  T  will  dwell  with  you, 
and  I  will  bless  you  as  I  blessed  your  fathers,  and 
I  will  be  your  God,  and  you  shall  be  My  people." 


CENTENARY 

OF  THE 

ARCHDIOCESE 

OF 

NEW  YORK 


SERMON  DELIVERED  AT  THE  CENTENARY 

CELEBRATION  OF  THE  ARCHDIOCESE 

OF  NEW  YORK,  1 908. 

"Arise,  be  enligtitened,  0  Jerusalem,  for  thy  light  is  come, 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee.  The  Gentiles 
shall  walk  in  thy  light,  and  kings  in  the  brightness  of  thy 
rising.  Lift  up  thine  eyes  round  about  and  see:  all  these  are 
gathered  together,  they  are  come  to  thee:  thy  sons  shall  come 
from  afar,  and  thy  daughters  shall  rise  up  at  thy  side.  Then 
Shalt  thou  see  and  abound,  and  thy  heart  shall  wonder  and 
be  enlarged  when  the  multitude  of  the  sea  shall  be  converted 
to  thee,  the  strength  of  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thee." 
Isaiah  Ix. 

Your  Eminence,  Most  Reverend,  Right  Reverend 
and  Reverend  Fathers  of  the  Clergy,  Dearly 
Beloved  Brethren  of  the  Laity: 

WE  are  honored  today  by  the  presence  of  his 
Eminence,  Cardinal  Logue,  Archbishop 
of  Armagh,  Primate  of  all  Ireland,  and 
successor  of  St.  Patrick.  It  is  eminently  becoming 
that  this  distinguished  prelate  should  take  part  in 
these  festivities,  as  the  Cathedral  and  Archdiocese 
of  New  York  are  consecrated  to  St.  Patrick  the 
Apostle  of  Ireland,  and  who  shares  with  St.  Paul 
the  glorious  title  of  Apostle  of  the  Nations. 

30 


NEW  YORK  CENTENARY  31 

We  are  assembled  here  this  morning  to  celebrate 
with  joyful  praise  and  thanksgiving,  the  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  establishment  of  the 
diocese  of  New  York. 

A  retrospect  of  the  principal  personages  who  fig- 
ured in  the  history  of  this  See  during  the  past 
century,  would  be  manifestly  incomplete,  if  no 
mention  were  made  of  John  Carroll,  the  first  Arch- 
bishop of  Baltimore,  the  Metropolitan,  in  his  day, 
of  the  Bishop  of  New  York,  and  the  Patriarch  of 
the  American  Church. 

John  Carroll  was  appointed  the  first  Bishop  of 
the  American  Church  by  Pius  VII  in  an  Apostolic 
Brief  dated  November,  1789.  The  See  of  Balti- 
more then  embraced  the  whole  United  States. 

He  was  consecrated  in  the  Chapel  attached  to 
Lulworth  Castle,  in  England,  the  elegant  seat  of 
Thomas  "Weld,  Esquire.  Mr.  Weld  had  the  honor 
of  entertaining,  more  than  once.  King  George  III 
of  England,  and  the  friendship  of  the  sovereign 
secured  for  his  host  religious  concessions  which 
were  denied  to  the  other  Catholic  gentry  and 
nobility  in  those  days  of  persecution. 

On  this  occasion  the  consecrating  Prelate  was 
Dr.  Walmesly,  Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  London  Dis- 
trict. 

The  sermon  was  preached  by  Eev.  Charles  Plow- 
den,  an  intimate  friend  of  Dr.  Carroll.  Pather 
Plowden's  sermon  was  something  in  the  nature  of 


32  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

a  prophecy  of  the  future  greatness  of  the  Ameri- 
can Church,  the  daughter  of  the  ancient  Catholic 
Church  of  England,  then  lying  almost  in  ruins, 
whose  future  he  foresaw  would  be  greater  even 
than  her  mother's  past.  How  truly  he  was  ani- 
mated by  the  spirit  of  prophecy  is  abundantly  veri- 
fied today  by  this  vast  young  American  Church, 
greater  and  more  widely  extended  than  was  the 
mother  church  of  England,  even  in  the  days  of  her 
glory  under  the  Plantagenets. 

We  regard  the  selection  of  Bishop  Carroll  as  a 
most  providential  event  for  the  welfare  of  the 
American  Church.  For,  if  a  Prelate  of  narrow 
views,  a  man  out  of  sympathy  and  harmony  with 
the  genius  of  the  new  Eepublic  had  been  chosen, 
the  progress  of  the  Catholic  religion  would  have 
been  seriously  impeded. 

It  is  true,  the  Constitution  had  declared  that  no 
one  should  be  molested  on  account  of  religion ;  but 
constitutional  enactments  would  have  been  a  feeble 
barrier  to  stem  the  tide  of  popular  and  traditional 
prejudice,  unless  those  enactments  were  justified 
and  vindicated  by  the  patriotic  example  of  the 
chief  ruler  of  the  American  Church. 

The  diocese  of  Baltimore  embraced  the  whole 
territory  of  the  United  States  until  1808. 

In  that  year,  by  an  Apostolic  Brief  of  Pius  VII, 
Baltimore  was  raised  to  an  Archiepiscopal  See, 
and  four  suffragan  sees  were  created, — New  York, 


NEW  YORK  CENTENAllY  33 

Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  Bardstown.  The  Bishop 
selected  to  preside  over  the  diocese  of  New  York, 
was  Eight  Keverend  Richard  Luke  Concanen,  of 
the  Order  of  St.  Dominic.  The  Brief  which  was 
confided  to  him,  creating  the  See  of  New  York, 
never  reached  its  destination;  but  an  authentic 
duplicate,  issued  from  the  Propaganda,  is  now  pre- 
served in  the  archives  of  the  Baltimore  Cathedral. 

After  his  consecration  in  Rome,  Bishop  Con- 
canen proceeded  to  Leghorn,  and  thence  to  Naples, 
in  the  hope  of  finding  a  vessel  that  would  convey 
him  to  America.  But  after  a  brief  illness,  he  sud- 
denly expired  in  that  city;  and  thus  the  first  chosen 
leader  of  the  people  of  God  in  this  Commonwealth, 
was  destined,  like  Moses,  never  to  enter  the  Prom- 
ised Land. 

In  1814,  The  Eight  Reverend  John  Connolly 
was  appointed  the  second  Bishop  of  New  York. 
The  new  incumbent,  like  his  predecessor,  was  a 
member  of  the  learned  and  illustrious  Order  of 
St.  Dominic.  Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  priests, 
Bishop  Connolly  was  compelled  to  exercise  mis- 
sionary duties  throughout  his  vast  diocese,  which 
then  comprised  the  whole  State  of  New  York  and 
the  eastern  portion  of  New  Jersey.  He  traversed 
the  City  of  New  York  on  foot,  administering  the 
consolations  of  religion  to  the  sick  and  afflicted. 

After  an  arduous  episcopal  career  of  ten  years, 
he  surrendered  his  soul  to  his  Maker  in  1825.    As 


34  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

an  evidence  of  the  esteem  and  veneration  in  which 
the  Bishop  was  held  by  the  community  at  large,  we 
are  informed  by  a  contemporary  daily  journal,  that 
his  remains  were  viewed  by  about  thirty  thousand 
persons,  who  then  formed  nearly  one-fifth  of  the 
entire  population  of  your  city. 

John  Dubois,  the  successor  of  Bishop  Connolly, 
was  a  worthy  type  of  those  learned  and  zealous 
French  priests  who  for  three  centuries  after  the 
discovery  of  our  continent,  consecrated  themselves 
to  the  service  of  God  in  this  hemisphere.  The 
French  clergy  who  came  to  these  shores  combined 
in  a  remarkable  degree  the  virtues  of  priests  with 
the  highest  culture,  the  deepest  learning  and  the 
greatest  refinement.  Never  should  the  American 
Church  forget  what  she  owes  to  the  Church  of 
France ;  nor  is  she  likely  to,  since  the  names  of  her 
holy  men  are  stamped  upon  many  a  river  and 
mountain  of  this  fair  land. 

They  carried  the  torch  of  faith  in  one  hand,  and 
the  torch  of  science  in  the  other.  As  an  illustra- 
tion of  their  scientific  attainments,  I  may  observe 
that  the  charts  of  North  America  which  they  sent 
to  the  mother  country,  are  regarded  even  at  this 
day  as  marvels  of  topographical  accuracy. 

Eev.  John  Dubois  was  the  founder  -and  first 
president  of  Mount  St.  Mary's  College,  Emmits- 
burg,  which  has  been  called  ''the  Mother  of  Bish- 
ops." It  is  a  notable  circumstance  that  his  three 


NEW  YORK  CENTENARY  35 

immediate  successors  in  the  See  of  New  York  were 
educated  in  that  Institution. 

On  the  occasion  of  his  consecration  in  Baltimore, 
the  Bishop  was  presented  with  his  pectoral  cross 
and  ring  by  Charles  Carroll,  of  Carrollton,  the  last 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

He  labored  with  indefatigable  zeal  for  sixteen 
years,  until  he  was  worn  out  by  old  age  and  infirmi- 
ties. No  one  acquainted  with  his  life,  can  deny 
that  Bishop  Dubois  was  not  deficient  in  force  of 
character,  but  a  stronger  and  younger  hand  than 
his  was  needed  to  grapple  with  the  administrative 
problems  that  confronted  him  in  his  declining 
years. 

Archbishop  Hughes  was  the  man  for  the  occa- 
sion. Like  Archbishop  Carroll,  he  was  providenti- 
ally raised  up  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  times. 
He  braced  the  relaxing  nerves  of  discipline.  The 
Trustee  System,  admirable  in  itself  when  exer- 
cised within  legitimate  lines,  was  grossly  abused, 
and  it  led  to  a  spirit  of  insubordination  to  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities.  This  evil  he  repressed 
with  a  firm  and  vigorous  hand.  He  was  also  the 
fearless  champion  of  Christian  education;  and,  if 
today  our  Christian  schools  are  so  thoroughly 
established  and  developed  throughout  the  land, 
this  result  is  due,  in  no  small  measure,  to  the  bold 
and  timely  initiative  of  the  Archbishop  of  New 
York. 


36  A  EETPtOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

Archbishop  Hughes  was  a  Prelate  of  great  intel- 
lectual power.  James  Koosevelt  Bayley,  my  vener- 
able predecessor,  a  man  of  close  observation  and 
large  experience,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  the 
New  York  Prelate,  informed  me  that  he  regarded 
Archbishop  Hughes  as  one  of  the  ablest  minds  he" 
ever  encountered.  His  letters  to  Mayor  Harper, 
of  New  York,  are  models  of  literary  style,  and  are 
worthy  of  the  pen  of  a  Junius  or  an  Edmund 
Burke. 

He  was  a  man  of  indomitable  courage.  He  had 
no  sense  of  fear.  He  never  paled  before  dangers 
and  difficulties.  He  rather  courted  them,  that  he 
might  triumph  over  them. 

As  an  instance  of  his  fearlessness,  he  often 
expressed  a  desire  to  witness  a  storm  at  sea.  His 
wishes  were  gratified  beyond  his  expectations  in 
a  voyage  he  made  to  Europe  in  a  sailing  vessel 
in  1839.  A  hurricane  raged  with  unabated  fury 
for  twenty-four  hours.  While  his  fellow  passen- 
gers were  huddled  together  in  a  state  of  consterna- 
tion, he  remained  on  deck  and  exulted  in  the  fear- 
ful conflict  of  the  elements. 

He  has  left  an  indelible  impress  of  his  words 
and  character  on  this  Archdiocese,  and  even  on 
the  country  at  large. 

When  the  See  of  New  York  became  vacant  by 
the  death  of  Archbishop  Hughes  in  1864,  Eight 
Eeverend  John  McCloskey  was  chosen  to  succeed 


NEW  YORK  CENTENARY  37 

him,  and  time  has  amply  vindicated  the  wisdom 
of  the  choice. 

The  zeal  and  labors  which  have  signalized  his 
career  in  the  diocese  of  Albany,  and  in  the  Arch- 
diocese of  New  York,  will  mark  a  luminous  and  an 
indelible  record  in  the  history  of  these  two  Sees. 

At  the  Second  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore, 
Archbishop  McCloskey  was  a  commanding  figure, 
and  was  regarded  as  the  Nestor  of  that  ven- 
erable assembly.  He  preached  the  opening  sermon 
of  the  Council,  which  fully  sustained  the  reputa- 
tion he  had  acquired  as  a  pulpit  orator.  He  had  a 
rich,  penetrating,  well  modulated  voice,  combined 
with  a  distinct  enunciation,  and  a  most  grace- 
ful delivery.  So  great  was  the  confidence  which 
his  colleagues  reposed  in  his  ripe  judgment,  that 
as  far  as  I  can  recall,  they  invariably  and  cordially 
acquiesced  in  his  opinions. 

Clergy  and  faithful  of  New  York,  what  senti- 
ments of  honest  pride  must  be  evoked  in  your 
hearts  at  the  mention  of  these  two  illustrious 
Pontiffs,  for  they  shed  a  glory  not  only  upon  this 
city  but  over  the  whole  American  Church. 

Those  two  churchmen  had  each  his  predominant 
traits  of  character :  McCloskey,  meek,  gentle,  retir- 
ing from  the  world,  reminds  us  of  Moses  with 
nplifted  hands,  praying  on  the  mountain.  Hughes, 
active,  bold,  vigorous,  aggressive,  was  like  Josue 


38  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

^ghting  in  the  valley,  armed  with  the  Christian 
panoply  of  faith,  truth  and  justice. 

John  McCloskey  has  the  undivided  distinction 
of  being  the  first  Cardinal  ever  created  on  Ameri- 
can soil,  and  this  diocese  shares  the  glory  with  him. 
As  an  evidence  of  the  Cardinal's  imperturbable 
temper  and  self-control  under  trying  circum- 
stances, I  m^ay  mention  that  a  few  moments  before 
he  was  invited  by  the  Master  of  Ceremonies  to 
ascend  the  pulpit  to  deliver  the  opening  sermon 
at  the  Second  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore,  a  tele- 
gram was  handed  to  him  announcing  the  destruc- 
tion of  his  cathedral  by  fire.  His  Eminence 
preached  in  his  usual  tranquil  and  unruffled  man- 
ner. When  I  expressed  to  him  the  next  morning 
my  surprise  at  his  composure  after  receiving  such 
startling  news,  he  gently  replied:  *^The  damage 
was  done,  and  I  could  not  undo  it." 

It  is  quite  unnecessary  in  this  assembly  to  dwell 
at  any  length  on  the  life  of  the  late  lamented  Arch- 
bishop Corrigan.  His  virtues  and  good  deeds  are 
so  fresh  in  the  memory  of  all  of  us, — of  his  broth- 
ers in  the  Episcopate,  his  clergy  and  laity,  that 
they  need  no  rehearsal  at  my  hands. 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  he  was  a  man  of  many-sided 
attainments,  so  learned  in  speculative  theology, 
and  yet  so  practical,  so  courtly,  yet  so  humble,  so 
gentle,  yet  so  strong.  He  was  a  man  of  most 
methodical  habits,  never  wasting  a  moment 's  time, 


NEW  YORK  CENTENAEY  39 

and  was  eminently  conspicuous  for  administrative 
ability.  In  all  questions  affecting  Canon  Law  and 
Church  History,  as  well  as  the  venerable  traditions 
and  usages  of  the  Apostolic  See,  he  was  an  author- 
ity and  a  living  encyclopaedia  among  his  colleagues. 

Though  obliged  by  his  exalted  position  to  appear 
in  the  public  walks  of  life,  he  courted  retirement, 
and  ** his  life  was  hidden  with  Christ  in  God." 

It  would  ill  become  me  to  enlage  here  in  his 
presence  on  the  merits  and  labors  of  the  popular 
Prelate  who  now  happily  presides  over  the  des- 
tinies of  this  flourishing  archiocese.  He  has  taken 
up,  and  holds  with  a  firm  and  prudent  hand,  the 
reins  of  government  laid  down  by  his  illustrious 
predecessors.  He  enjoys  the  esteem,  the  confi- 
dence and  affection  of  the  clergy  and  laity  com- 
mitted to  his  spiritual  jurisdiction. 

And  while  *^the  solicitude  of  the  Churches,'' 
and  the  moral  and  religious  welfare  of  his  own 
people  are  the  primary  object  of  his  pastoral  vigi- 
lance and  zeal,  nevertheless  like  a  true,  patriotic 
Prelate,  he  is  always  ready  and  eager  to  co-oper- 
ate with  his  fellow  citizens  of  every  race  and  rank 
and  religion,  in  advocating  any  measure  that  may 
redound  to  the  material  and  temporal  well-being 
of  the  inhabitants  of  this  great  Metropolis. 

Let  us  now  make  a  brief  survey  of  the  gigantic 
strides  which  this  archdiocese  has  made  during 
the  century  that  has  come  to  a  close.    It  is  only  by 


40  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

comparisons  and  contrasts  that  we  can  form  an 
adequate  estimate  of  this  growth  and  expansion. 

According  to  a  primer  Catholic  Directory  pre- 
served in  the  Baltimore  Cathedral  archives,  pub- 
lished in  1813,  there  were  six  priests  ministering 
in  this  diocese  which  then,  as  I  said,  embraced  the 
whole  State  of  New  York  and  a  part  of  New  Jer- 
sey. There  was  only  one  Catholic  Church  in  the 
city, — old  St.  Peter's,  and  a  few  modest  houses  of 
worship  scattered  far  and  wide  over  that  immense 
area.  The  Catholic  population  numbered  about 
25,000  souls.  As  for  colleges  and  academies,  hos- 
pitals and  asylums,  there  were  none  of  which  any 
record  is  preserved. 

What  is  the  situation  today?  In  the  same  terri- 
tory there  are  one  Archbishop  and  nine  Bishops, 
including  a  coadjutor  and  an  auxiliary  Bishop, 
twenty-five  hundred  and  thirty-six  priests,  up- 
wards of  fourteen  hundred  churches,  and  a  Cath- 
olic population  of  about  three  millions.  The  whole 
region  is  now  adorned  with  colleges,  academies 
and  schools,  protectories,  asylums  and  hospitals, 
and  with  all  the  appliances  that  religion  and  be- 
nevolence can  devise  for  the  alleviation  of  suffer- 
ing humanity.  New  York  is,  today,  the  most 
flourishing  See  in  the  United  States,  and  is  second 
to  few,  if  indeed  to  any,  in  the  whole  Catholic 
world. 

But  amon2r  the  various  Institutions  that  enrich 


NEW  YORK  CENTENAEY  41 

this  Metropolitan  See,  there  is  one  structure  which 
the  hierarchy  and  faithful  contemplate  with  pecu- 
liar pride  and  exultation ;  there  is  one  edifice  which 
is  your  joy  and  your  crown,  and  that  is  the 
majestic  Cathedral  in  which  we  are  now  assembled. 

In  contributing  to  the  erection  of  this  Church, 
you  have  done  honor  to  yourselves.  If  it  is  a  glory 
for  a  citizen  to  raise  a  monument  to  the  father  of 
his  country,  how  much  greater  is  the  privilege  of 
erecting  a  monument  to  our  Saviour  and  Father 
in  Heaven? 

As  three  kings  took  part  in  erecting  Jerusalem's 
temple,  so  have  three  princes  of  the  Church  united 
in  the  construction  of  this  noble  edifice.  Arch- 
bishop Hughes  secured  the  ground  and  projected 
the  idea;  Cardinal  McCloskey  erected  the  build- 
ing; and  Archbishop  Corrigan,  re-enforced  by  his 
successor,  brought  the  work  to  a  happy  consum- 
mation. 

Nor  were  these  great  Prelates  assisted  in  erect- 
ing this  Cathedral  by  kings  and  princes,  as  their 
predecessors  would  have  been  helped  in  an  older 
time ;  but  they  were  helped  by  the  Christian  people, 
and  to  a  great  extent  by  the  Christian  poor. 
Westminster  Abbey  is  a  monument  of  the  good- 
ness of  an  Edward  and  the  piety  of  a  Henry,  but 
this  Church  has  sprung  up  out  of  the  very  hearts 
of  thousands  of  the  faithful  who  have  often  had  to 


42  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

deny  tliemselves,  and  sometimes  very  rigorously, 
to  assist  in  this  good  work. 

You  prove  that  you  have  sturdy  faith  as  well 
as  royal  hearts.  It  is  only  earnest  Faith  that 
could  conceive  and  erect  so  noble  a  structure  as 
this.  Heinrich  Heine,  the  distinguished  Jewish 
poet,  after  contemplating  the  beautiful  Cathedral 
of  Amiens,  turning  to  a  friend,  said:  ^^You  may 
see  here  the  difference  between  convictions  and 
opinions :  Opinions  cannot  build  such  Cathedrals ; 
convictions  can.'* 

The  most  impressive  sermon  ever  preached  in 
this  Church,  is  delivered  by  the  Cathedral  itself. 
It  is  a  sermon  in  marble.  It  preaches  in  silent  but 
eloquent  language  to  the  immigrant  daily  arriving 
at  your  harbor. 

If  the  devout  philosopher  *^  finds  tongues  in 
trees,  books  in  running  brooks,  sermons  in  stones, 
and  good  in  everything,''  surely  the  Christian  pil- 
grim, in  casting  his  eyes  around  him  in  this 
Church,  will  discover  everywhere  object  lessons  to 
quicken  his  faith,  to  strengthen  his  hope,  and  nour- 
ish his  love  for  his  God  and  Saviour. 

Nor  could  any  sermon  have  been  the  cause  of  so 
much  comfort  and  consolation  as  this  Cathedral 
has  bestowed  upon  thousands  of  God's  servants. 
To  take  only  one  example  of  what  it  must  have 
meant — what  it  means  even  today — to  the  children 
of  St.  Patrick  coming  to  these  shores  to  see,  as 


NEW  YORK  CENTENARY  43 

almost  their  first  sight  in  the  New  World,  the  cross- 
crowned  spires  of  this  beautiful  Gothic  Church  so 
like  that  other  most  beautiful  example  of  modern 
Gothic  which  was  the  last  sight  that  greeted  their 
eyes  as  the  fair  hills  of  Old  Ireland  faded  from 
their  view. 

If  we  investigate  the  principal  causes  that  have 
contributed  to  the  growth  and  expansion  of  this 
Metropolitan  See,  we  must  acknowledge  that 
under  God  you  are  chiefly  indebted  for  this  result 
to  the  tide  of  immigrants  that  for  the  last  century 
has  steadily  flowed  to  your  harbor. 

They  have  come  to  your  city,  first  of  all,  and 
most  of  all  from  Ireland,  and  in  lesser  numbers 
from  the  other  parts  of  the  British  Isles,  from  the 
German  and  Austrian  Empires,  from  France  and 
Italy,  and  other  portions  of  Catholic  Europe. 

But  this  heterogeneous  and  unorganized  mass 
of  Christian  worshippers,  however,  would  soon 
disintegrate  under  adverse  circumstances,  like  a 
body  without  a  spirit,  and  their  faith  would  van- 
ish into  thin  air,  if  they  were  not  marshalled  and 
co-ordinated,  nourished  and  sustained  by  the  zeal 
and  piety  of  a  devoted  and  enlightened  clergy. 

But  although  you  are  glad  to  acknowledge  the 
fact  that  all  nations  have  contributed  something 
to  the  building  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the  City 
of  New  York,  you  will  all  agree,  I  am  sure,  with 
what  I  have  just  said,  that  whatever  may  be  your 


4ti  A  RETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

own  ancestry,  the  post  of  honor  must  be  assigned 
to  the  children  of  ever  faithful  Ireland.  They 
have  borne  the  brunt  of  the  battle.  Whatever  may- 
have  been  the  unhappy  causes  that  have  led  to  the 
expatriation  of  so  many  of  Ireland's  sons  and 
daughters  from  their  native  soil,  an  overruling 
Providence  has  made  their  exile  subservient  to 
higher  and  holier  purposes.  I  can  safely  say  that 
there  are  few  cities  or  towns  in  the  United  States, 
where  the  Catholic  religion  has  not  been  pro- 
claimed by  priests  and  sustained  by  laymen  of 
Irish  birth  or  descent. 

When  I  contemplate  this  army  of  sturdy  immi- 
grants leaving  their  native  shores  of  Europe  and 
advancing  towards  your  beautiful  harbor ;  when  I 
behold  them  assimilated  with  the  native  popula- 
tion, and  becoming  ''bone  of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of 
our  flesh,"  when  I  see  them  contributing  to  the 
material  wealth  and  prosperity  of  the  country; 
above  all,  when  I  observe  them  enriching  our 
nation  with  the  blessings  of  Christian  faith,  and 
uniting  with  us  in  building  up  the  walls  of  Jerusa- 
lem— when  I  survey  this  scene,  the  glorious  vision 
of  the  Prophet  Isaiah  looms  up  before  me :  ''Arise, 
be  enlightened,  0,  Jerusalem,  for  thy  light  is 
come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon 
thee.  The  Gentiles  shall  walk  in  thy  light  and  kings 
in  the  brightness  of  thy  rising.  Lift  up  thine  eyes 
round   about   and   see:   all   these   are   gathered 


NEW  YORK  CENTENARY  45 

together,  they  are  come  to  thee:  thj  sons  shall 
come  from  afar,  and  thy  daughters  shall  arise  up 
at  thy  side.  Then  shalt  thou  see  and  abound,  and 
thy  heart  shall  wonder  and  be  enlarged  when  the 
multitude  of  the  sea  shall  be  converted  to  thee,  the 
strength  of  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thee.*^ 

A  word,  in  conclusion,  to  you,  my  Brethren,  who 
are  the  heirs  of  the  faith  of  your  fathers.  It  is 
your  sacred  mission  to  see  to  it  that  the  glorious 
prophecy  of  Isaiah  shall  be  amply  fulfilled,  and 
that  the  twentieth  century  shall  emulate  the  cent- 
ury that  has  closed  by  the  growth  and  expansion  of 
the  Church  of  Christ.  This  result  you  will  accom- 
plish by  co-operating  with  your  Bishops  and  clergy 
in  promoting  every  good  work  undertaken  in  the 
cause  of  religion  and  humanity. 

In  all  union  there  is  strength ;  but  in  the  union 
of  a  Bishop  with  his  clergy  and  people  there  is 
more  than  the  strength  of  man,  since  they  have 
been  bound  together  and  united  to  one  another  by 
God  himself. 

It  is  our  proud  boast  that  public  law  and  private 
morality  find  their  only  true  sanction  and  support 
in  religion.  My  brethren,  I  exhort  you  to  be  in 
your  own  persons  the  proof  of  this  fact.  Let  your 
interest  in  your  city,  in  your  State,  in  your  coun- 
try, show  how  closely  patriotism  is  allied  to  reli- 
gion, and  how  necessarily  true  patriotism  and  true 
love  of  country  depend  upon  a  true  love  of  God. 


46  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

And  as  you  love  your  country,  and  because  you 
love  your  country,  take  ever  an  abiding  and  vital 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  your  boly  religion.  Let 
the  world  know  that  because  you  are  Americans 
you  love  the  Catholic  Church  as  that  which  you 
believe  will  ultimately  be  proved  to  be  the  salt 
which  will  help  to  keep  the  whole  mass  of  the 
American  people  from  decay  and  disintegration. 
Let  us  apply  these  words  of  the  Prophet  which  I 
have  taken  as  my  text  to  the  future  of  our  country. 
She  shall  rise ;  she  shall  be  enlightened ;  her  light 
will  come  if  only  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  rise 
upon  her. 


EUCHARISTIC  CONGRESS 
WESTMINSTER  CATHEDRAL 

LONDON 


SERMON  PREACHED  AT  THE  EUCHARISTIC 

CONGRESS  IN   THE  WESTMINSTER 

CATHEDRAL.  SEPTEMBER.  1 908. 

"I  say  unto  you  that  many  shall  come  from  the  East  and  the 
West,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob 
In  the  kingdom  of  heaven." — Matt,  viii,  ii. 

Your  Eminence,'^  Most  Reverend  and  Reverend 
Fathers:  Beloved  Brethren  of  the  Laity: 

IT  is  a  great  honor  and  privilege,  that  members 
of  the  hierarchy  of  the  United  States  should 
unite  with  their  brethren  of  the  British  Isles, 
and  of  the  Continent  of  Europe  in  celebrating 
among  you  this  Love-Feast  of  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment. 

I  am  indebted  for  the  favor  conferred  on  me  to 
the  kind  partiality  of  your  beloved  Archbishop, 
whose  pressing  invitation  I  accepted  as  a  com- 
mand. And  in  appearing  before  you  I  am  endeav- 
oring to  pay  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  Archdiocese 
of  Westminster — for,  when  we  celebrated,  some 

*  Cardinal  Vincenzo  Vannutelli  presided  at  the  Eucharistlc 
Congress 

47 


48  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

years  ago,  the  centenary  of  tlie  establisliment  of 
the  American  Catholic  hierarchy,  Cardinal  Man- 
ning was  worthily  represented  in  Baltimore  by  one 
of  his  venerable  colleagues.  "\Ye  earnestly  hope 
that  the  occasion,  so  suggestive  of  your  good  will 
to  your  brethren  beyond  the  seas,  may  contribute 
to  strengthen  the  bond  of  fellowship  between  the 
clergy  and  people  of  England  and  of  the  United 
States. 

But  there  are  other  and  higher  reasons  than 
personal  friendship  to  justify  the  participation 
by  American  prelates  in  the  ceremonies  of  today. 
Though  we  are  separated  from  you  by  an  immense 
ocean,  we  are  united  with  you,  thank  God,  in  the 
heritage  of  a  common  faith.  We,  across  the  At- 
lantic, claim,  as  well  as  you,  to  be  the  spiritual 
children  of  Gregory,  Augustine  and  Patrick,  of 
Alban  and  Venerable  Bede,  of  Anselm  and  Thomas 
of  Canterbury,  of  Peter  and  Pius;  we  have  with 
you,  *^one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God 
and  Father  of  all.''  Indeed,  our  kinship  is  stronger 
and  more  enduring  than  that  which  is  created  by 
flesh  and  blood.  "W^ien  I  entered  your  cathedral 
this  morning,  I  could  say  to  you  all,  in  the  name 
of  my  countrymen,  and  in  the  language  of  the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles :  ^^  We  are  no  more  strang- 
ers and  foreigners,  but  we  are  fellow  citizens 
with  the  saints,  and  of  the  household  of  God,  built 
upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets, 


EUCHAEISTIC  CONGRESS  49 

Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the  chief  corner- 
stone.^' This  sentiment  inspires  me  with  confi- 
dence, and  makes  me  feel  at  home;  for,  I  am 
addressing  you  as  brothers  in  the  faith,  and  I  can 
speak  to  you  with  all  the  warmth  and  affection  of 
the  same  apostle:  ^'My  month  is  open  to  you,'* 
fellow-Catholics  of  England,  ^'my  heart  is  en- 
larged.'' 

But  we  inherit  not  only  the  traditions  of  your 
christian  faith;  we  inherit  also  the  traditions  of 
your  civil  and  political  freedom.  The  Great  Char- 
ter of  Liberty,  which  Cardinal  Langton  of  Canter- 
bury and  the  English  Barons  wrested  from  King 
John,  on  the  plains  of  Eunnymede,  is  the  basis  of 
our  constitutional  liberties.  We  share  with  you 
in  the  fruit  of  your  victories. 

We.  have  not  only  a  common  heritage  of  civil  and 
political  freedom,  but  we  also  speak  the  same 
language — the  language  of  Chaucer  and  Shakes- 
peare, of  Pope  and  Dryden,  of  Tennyson  and 
Newman.  The  steady  growth  of  the  Church  in  the 
English-speaking  world,  during  the  last  three  cen- 
turies, is  truly  gratifying,  and  may  be  considered 
phenomenal.  For,  whereas,  in  the  Sixteenth  Cen- 
tury the  number  of  English-speaking  Bishops  was 
considerably  under  thirty  there  are  now  upwards 
of  two  hundred  Bishops  ruling  dioceses  where 
English  is  the  prevailing  language.  An  English- 
speaking  hierarchy  is  established  in  England,  Ire- 


50  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

land  and  Scotland,  and  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  the  East  Indies  and  Australia. 

Moreover  the  Church  in  the  United  States  has 
another  bond  of  union  with  the  Church  in  Great 
Britain,  and  that  is  your  Catholic  literature.  Not 
to  mention  the  classic  writers  of  England,  whose 
domain  is  as  wide  as  the  British  Empire,  the 
Catholic  authors  who  flourished  among  you  in  the 
eighteenth  and  nineteenth  centuries  are  household 
names  among  us.  Our  clergy  and  educated  laity 
are  almost  as  familiar  as  you  are,  with  the  writ- 
ings of  Bishop  Hay,  Bishop  Challoner  and  Dr. 
•Milner,  of  Alban  Butler  and  Dr.  Lingard,  of  Father 
Faber  and  Father  Coleridge,  and  of  the  three 
illustrious  Cardinals  who  have  shed  an  unfading 
lustre  on  the  Church  in  England  by  their  literary 
labors  as  well  as  by  their  apostolic  lives — I  refer 
to  the  immortal  triumviri,  Wiseman,  Newman  and 
Manning. 

We  have  not  only  the  same  language  and  literar 
ture,  but  we  live  under  practically  the  same  system 
of  government.  You  are  ruled  by  a  constitutional 
monarchy;  we  are  ruled  by  a  constitutional  re- 
public. The  head  of  our  nation  is  the  President; 
the  head  of  your  nation  is  the  King,  the  son  and 
successor  of  a  Queen,  whose  long  and  prosperous 
reign  will  be  ever  memorable  in  the  annals  of 
England,  and  whose  domestic  virtues  commanded 
the  veneration  and  love  of  her  subjects,  and  the 


EUCHARISTIC  CONGRESS  51 

admiration  of  the  civilized  world.  Though  the 
forms  of  government  differ  in  name,  they  are  the 
same  in  their  practical  results.  We  both  enjoy 
the  inestimable  blessings  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty.  Our  respective  governments  hold  over  us 
the  aegis  of  their  protection  without  interferring 
with  us  in  the  exercise  of  our  sacred  functions. 

This  remark  may  be  specially  emphasized  in 
regard  to  your  colonies.  I  have  conversed  with 
Bishops  from  Canada,  from  Australia,  New  Zea- 
land, and  other  possessions  of  the  British  Empire, 
and  they  were  all  loud  in  their  praise  of  the  free- 
dom which  they  enjoy  as  prelates  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

I  need  not  dwell  on  the  vast  extent  of  the  British 
territory,  which  embraces  about  ten  millions  of 
square  miles,  or  about  one-fifth  of  the  surface  of 
the  globe,  and  whereas  the  old  Eoman  Empire  was 
colossal  in  its  proportions,  for  it  extended  into 
Europe  as  far  as  the  River  Danube,  into  Africa 
as  far  as  Mauritania,  and  into  Asia  as  far  as  the 
Tigris  and  Euphrates.  Yet,  the  Roman  Empire 
formed  scarcely  a  sixth  part  of  the  dimensions  of 
the  British  dominions. 

It  has  been  justly  observed  that,  two  thousand 
years  ago,  the  great  Roman  Empire,  with  its  splen- 
did system  of  public  roads,  afforded  the  Apostles 
and  their  immediate  successors  exceptional  facili- 


52  A  RETROSPECT  OF  EIFTY  YEARS 

ties  for  traversing  the  provinces  and  announcing 
the  Gospel  to  the  Gentile  world. 

Does  not  the  same  observation  apply,  with  still 
greater  force,  to  the  mighty  British  Empire  of 
today?  She  has  a  commercial  net  work  extending 
over  oceans  and  continents,  and  should  not  God's 
ministers  avail  themselves  of  this  providential 
agency  by  the  propagation  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ? 

Oh !  my  brethren  of  England,  what  a  vast  field 
is  open  to  your  zeal  and  activity !  May  your  mis- 
sionary sons  be  endowed  with  the  apostolic  spirit 
of  Augustine,  Winfrid  and  Patrick.  May  they 
succeed  in  preaching  the  Gospel  wherever  Eng- 
land establishes  her  laws.  May  they  be  as  zealous 
in  conquering  souls  as  British  statesmen  are  in 
acquiring  territory.  May  they  extend  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  wherever  England  enlarges  her  temporal 
dominion ;  may  they  erect  a  house  of  prayer  wher- 
ever she  builds  a  fort,  and  may  they  determine  to 
plant  the  cross,  the  symbol  of  salvation,  side  by 
side  with  the  banner  of  St.  George. 

And  may  my  own  dear  country  engage  in  holy 
emulation  with  England  in  spreading  the  Gospel 
of  peace  and  the  blessings  of  Christian  civilization, 
and  may  apostles  spring  forth  in  America,  to  carry 
the  faith  into  every  region  wherever  float  the  stars 
and  stripes. 

I  am  sure  that  you  will  all  agree  with  me,  that 


EUCHARISTIC  CONGRESS  58 

the  sister  isle  has  done  her  duty  in  the  cause  of 
Catholic  missionary  labor.  Whatever  have  been 
the  unhappy  causes  that  have  led  to  the  expatri- 
ation of  so  many  of  Ireland's  sons  and  daughters 
from  their  native  soil,  Almighty  God  has  made 
their  exile  subservient  to  higher  and  holier  pur- 
poses. I  can  safely  say,  that  there  is  scarcely  a 
city  or  town  in  the  United  States  or  Australia, 
where  the  Catholic  religion  has  not  been  pro- 
claimed by  priests  and  supported  by  laymen  of 
Irish  birth  or  parentage. 

But  let  us  not  forget  another  country  across  the 
channel  which  is  here  today  so  worthily  repre- 
sented and  which  has  set  an  example  of  noble  zeal 
to  England  and  to  America.  At  the  close  of  the 
Eighteenth  Century,  many  of  the  noblest  clergy 
of  France,  driven  from  their  native  land  by  the 
storm  of  the  French  Revolution,  sought  refuge  in 
England,  where  they  were  graciously  received,  and 
hospitably  entertained.  And  it  is  well  known  how 
they  endeared  themselves  to  the  British  people  by 
their  refined  manners  and  gentle  Christian  deport- 
ment, as  well  as  by  their  apostolic  zeal  and  the 
edifying  example  of  their  private  lives.  For  three 
centuries  after  the  discovery  of  the  American  con- 
tinent, heroic  missionaries  from  Catholic  France 
were  laboring  in  evangelizing  and  civilizing  the 
aboriginal  tribes  of  North  America,  traversing  the 
country  always  at  the  risk,  and  often  at  the  sacri- 


54  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

fice  of  tlieir  lives.  And  as  a  result  of  their  labor, 
there  are  few  Indian  tribes  today  in  the  United 
States  or  Canada  that  do  not  know  and  venerate 
the  ^' black  robes." 

If  those  heroic  men  accomplished  so  much  when 
they  had  no  boats  bu^  frail  canoes ;  no  roads  but 
eternal  snows,  and  virgin  forests  and  desert 
wastes;  no  compass  but  the  naked  eye;  no  guide 
save  faith  and  hope  and  God ;  how  much  more  will 
your  consecrated  sons  be  able  to  effect  by  means 
of  railroads  and  steamships  and  other  appliances 
of  modern  civilization? 

Therefore,  we  bless  you,  0  men  of  genius ;  we 
bless  your  inventions  and  discoveries.  We  hail 
you  as  agents  of  God :  We  will  impress  you  into 
the  service  of  religion,  and  we  will  say  with  the 
Prophet  Daniel :  * '  Sun  and  moon,  bless  the  Lord ; 
fire  and  heat,  bless  the  Lord ;  lightnings  and  clouds, 
bless  the  Lord;  all  ye  works  of  the  Lord,  bless  the 
Lord,  praise  and  exalt  Him  above  all  forever." 

But  you  English  Catholics  have  an  additional 
incentive  to  stimulate  your  pious  enthusiasm,  and 
to  arouse  your  zeal  in  diffusing  around  you  the 
blessings  of  Christian  faith.  Our  Holy  Father,  Leo 
XIII,  of  happy  memory,  sets  forth,  in  glowing 
terms,  the  golden  opportunities  that  lie  before  you. 
He  portrays  in  luminous  language  the  noble  char- 
acter of  your  countrymen.  As  Gregory  the  Great 
was  drawn  towards  the  enslaved  Angles  in  Eome 


EUCHARISTIC  CONGRESS  55 

by  the  comeliness  of  their  countenances,  so  is  Leo 
attracted  toward  the  free  and  enlightened  Britons 
by  their  elevated  qualities  of  mind  and  heart. 

In  his  apostolic  letter  of  1895,  he  enlarges  on 
the  distinguishing  traits  of  the  English  people. 
He  admires  your  candor,  your  sense  of  justice  and 
humanity.  He  praises  your  social  virtues  and 
your  successful  efforts  in  uplifting  the  poor  and 
the  working  classes ;  your  munificence  in  founding 
institutions  for  decrepit  old  age  and  abandoned 
youth;  in  building  hospitals  for  the  alleviation  of 
every  form  of  suffering  humanity;  and  in  the 
establishment  of  houses  of  correction  and  reforma- 
tion for  the  criminal  and  depraved.  He  dwells  on 
your  commercial  enterprise  and  activity,  extend- 
ing over  the  civilized  world  the  good  order  and 
stability  of  your  government;  the  respect  for 
religion  and  for  the  Christian  Sabbath,  and  the 
veneration  in  which  the  Sacred  Scriptures  are  held 
throughout  the  land. 

If  to  the  blessings  just  enumerated  were  super- 
added unity  in  Christian  belief,  this  bond  of  sacred 
fellowship  would,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Holy 
Father,  largely  contribute  to  the  peace  and  happi- 
ness of  domestic  life,  and  to  the  strength  and  secur- 
ity of  the  British  Empire  at  home  and  abroad. 

And,  my  brethren,  remember  Gregory  speaks 
through  Leo.  The  same  zeal  that  Gregory  exhib- 
ited at  the  close  of  the  Sixth  Century  for  Eng- 


56  A  EETPtOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

land's  conversion,  Leo  displays  at  the  close  of 
the  Nineteenth  Century  for  the  restoration  and 
development  of  the  Catholic  religion  in  your  be- 
loved country. 

And  the  same  homage  and  filial  reverence  that 
Augustine  paid  to  Gregory,  your  prelates  render 
to  Pius  X,  our  reigning  Pontiff.  They  recognize  the 
same  divinely  appointed  principle  of  authority, 
and  are  guided  and  cheered  by  the  same  voice  that 
spoke  to  your  first  great  Apostle. 

But  there  are  still  stronger  and  more  enduring 
ties  binding  the  Catholic  Church  of  America  to 
the  Church  in  England. 

Maryland,  the  mother  Church  in  the  United 
States,  was  founded  by  English  Catholics.  Leon- 
ard Calvert,  the  brother  of  Lord  Baltimore,  and 
the  leader  of  the  English  Catholic  colony,  desirous 
of  securing  liberty  of  worship  for  his  co-religion- 
ists, sailed  with  them  from  Cowes,  Isle  of  Wight, 
in  the  Ark  and  Dove — fitting  messengers  to  carry 
he  fortunes  of  the  pioneer  pilgrims.  They  reached 
their  destination  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  in 
1634. 

This  colony  of  British  Catholics  was  the  first 
to  establish  on  American  soil  the  blessings  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty.  Wliile  the  Puritans  of 
New  England  persecuted  other  Christians,  and 
while  the  Episcopalians  of  Virginia  persecuted 
Catholics  and  Puritans,  Catholic  Maryland  gave 


EUCHARISTIC  CONGRESS  57 

freedom  and  hospitality  to  Puritans  and  Episco- 
palians alike.  In  the' words  of  Bancroft,  "The 
foundation  of  the  colony  of  Maryland  was  peace- 
fully and  happily  laid.  Within  six  months  it  had 
advanced  more  than  Virginia  had  done  in  as  many 
years.    .    .    . 

"But  far  more  mem^orable  was  the  character  of 
the  Maryland  institutions.  Every  other  country 
in  the  world  had  persecuting  laws ;  but  through  the 
benign  administration  of  the  government  of  that 
province,  no  person  professing  to  believe  in  Jesus 
Christ,  was  permitted  to  be  molested  on  account 
of  religion.  Under  the  munificence  and  superin- 
tending mildness  of  Lord  Baltimore,  a  dreary  wil- 
derness was  soon  quickened  with  swarming  life 
and  activity  of  prosperous  settlements :  the  Roman 
Catholics,  who  were  oppressed  by  the  laws  of  Eng- 
land, were  sure  to  find  a  peaceful  asylum  in  the 
quiet  harbors  of  the  Chesapeake;  and  there,  too, 
Protestants  ivere  sheltered  from  Protestant  intol- 
erance. Such  were  the  beautiful  auspices  under 
which  Maryland  started  into  being.  Its  history  is 
the  history  of  benevolence,  gratitude,  and  tolera- 
tion." 

I  will  add  one  more  link  to  the  chain  of  hallowed 
associations  between  the  Catholic  Church  in  Eng- 
land and  America.  The  first  Bishop  of  the  United 
States  was  consecrated  in  England  by  an  English 
prelate.     John  Carroll,  the  first  Archbishop  of 


58  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

Baltimore,  and  the  Patriarch  of  the  American 
Church,  was  consecrated  in  1790,  in  the  Chapel  at 
Lulworth  Castle,  Dorsetshire,  the  elegant  seat  of 
Thomas  Weld,  and  when  the  proprietor  of  Lul- 
worth  heard  of  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Carroll, 
he  invited  him  to  be  his  gnest.  May  the  Lord  show 
mercy  to  thee,  Thomas  Weld,  for  the  hospitality 
thou  didst  extend  to  the  infant  Church  of  America 
in  the  person  of  her  first  Bishop. 

The  consecrating  prelate  was  Bishop  Walmes- 
ley.  Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  Western  District.  Dr. 
Walmesley  was  not  only  conspicuous  for  his  piety 
and  zeal  as  a  churchman,  but  he  was  also  an 
eminent  scientist.  In  1752,  he  was  invited  by  the 
English  Government  to  co-operate  with  other 
learned  men  in  arranging  the  Gregorian  Calendar 
and  adapting  it  to  Great  Britain. 

One  of  the  acolytes  on  the  occasion  of  the  con- 
secration, was  the  son  of  Mr.  Weld ;  he  became  the 
future  Cardinal  Weld,  and  was  conspicuous  as  a 
member  of  the  Sacred  College. 

The  Eev.  Charles  Plowden,  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  Dr.  Carroll, 
preached  the  consecration  sermon.  He  fore- 
shadowed with  prophetic  vision  the  future  growth 
and  development  of  the  American  Church.  As 
she  was  no  longer  fettered  by  repressive  laws,  but 
breathed  the  air  of  liberty,  she  would  increase  with 
giant  strength. 


EUCHARISTIC  CONGRESS  59 

**As  we,  in  former  ages,"  said  the  speaker, 
''received  the  faith  of  Kome  from  the  great  St. 
Gregory,  and  our  Apostle  St.  Austin,  so  now,  at 
an  interval  of  twelve-hundred  years,  our  Venerable 
Prelate,  the  heir  of  the  virtues  and  labor  of  our 
Apostle,  will  this  day,  by  commission  from  the 
successor  of  St.  Gregory,  consecrate  the  first 
Father  and  Bishop  of  the  new  church,  destined, 
as  we  confide,  to  inherit  those  benedictions  which 
the  first  called  have  ungratefully  rejected.  Glorious 
is  this  day  for  the  Church  of  God,  which  sees  new 
nations  crowding  into  her  bosom :  glorious  for  the 
Prelate  elect,  who  goes  forth  to  conquer  these 
nations  for  Jesus  Christ;  not  by  the  efforts  of 
human  power,  but  in  the  might  of  those  weapons 
that  have  ever  triumphed  in  this  divine  warfare." 
The  preacher  went  on  to  say  that  the  daughter 
would  one  day  outstrip  the  mother  in  the  multi- 
tude of  her  spiritual  children.  The  prophecy  has 
indeed,  been  fulfilled.  The  daughter  excels  the 
mother  in  the  wealth  of  her  institutions,  and  in 
the  number  of  her  bishops,  clergy  and  laity. 

But,  my  brethren,  while  claiming  this  pre-emi- 
nence, we  acknowledge,  with  filial  reverence,  that 
the  mother  has  higher  prerogatives  to  which  the 
daughter  must  joyfully  yield.  Many  daughters 
have  gathered  together  riches:  thou,  0  mother, 
hast  surpassed  them  all.  Thou  dost  excel  the 
daughter  in  the  wealth  and  splendor  of  thy  ven- 


60  A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

erable  and  hallowed  traditions,  in  the  effulgent 
host  of  thy  glorious  martyrs  and  illustrious  con- 
fessors of  the  faith. 

On  this  red  letter  day,  which  marks  a  new  epoch 
in  the  history  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  England, 
it  would  be  interesting  and  instructive,  if  I  had  the 
time,  to  form  a  comparison  between  the  present 
condition  of  the  English  Church  and  her  situation 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

The  great  religious  revolution  of  the  Sixteenth 
Century  had  spread  like  a  tornado  over  Northern 
Europe.  More  than  half  of  Germany  adopted  the 
teachings  of  its  new  apostle.  Sweden,  Denmark, 
Norway,  and  all  Scandinavia,  followed  in  the  same 
path.  Calvinism  in  the  Sixteenth  Century,  and 
Voltairism  in  the  Eighteenth,  had  wrought  such 
havoc  in  France,  that  twice  the  fate  of  that  great 
Catholic  nation  trembled  in  the  balance.  Ireland, 
alone,  of  all  the  nations  of  the  North,  remained 
loyal  to  the  ancient  creed ;  for  England  and  Scot- 
land, alas,  had  broken  off  their  allegiance  to  the 
Holy  See. 

At  the  close  of  the  Eighteenth  Century,  the 
Church  in  England  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the 
shock  of  the  great  upheaval.  Her  children  steered 
their  course  in  the  bark  of  Peter  under  reefed 
sails,  not  knowing  when  the  abating  storm  might 
be  renewed  with  increased  violence.  The  spiritual 
administration  of  the  whole  island  was  confided  to 


EUCHARISTIC  CONGRESS  61 

four  Vicars  Apostolic.  They  were  aided  by  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  priests,  scattered  up  and 
down  the  country.  A  few  modest  chapels,  which 
could  not  be  dignified  with  the  name  of  Christian 
temples,  were  established  here  and  there,  and 
chiefly  in  the  great  commercial  centers;  and  the 
entire  Catholic  population  was  estimated  by  Dr. 
Milner  at  70,000. 

Let  us  now  calmly  survey  the  scene  after  the 
din  and  smoke  of  battle  have  passed  away;  when 
penal  laws  are  happily  abolished,  and  when  the 
scales  of  prejudice  have  fallen  from  the  eyes  of 
the  English  people,  and  when  they  stand  forth 
in  the  full  light  of  their  sturdy  manhood,  and  their 
generous,  warm-hearted  character. 

We  see,  today,  a  hierarchy  composed  of  an 
Archbishop  with  fifteen  suffragans ;  three  thousand 
priests,  ministering  to  a  Catholic  population  of 
nearlv  two  millions. 

This  consoling  result  is  due,  under  God,  to  the 
zeal  of  the  bishops  and  clergy,  and  to  the  generous 
co-operation  of  the  laity. 

I  may  also  add,  that,  if  the  Catholic  Church  is 
now  viewed  with  so  much  respect  and  benevolence 
by  the  people  of  England,  this  circumstance  may  be 
ascribed,  in  no  small  measure,  to  the  fact,  that  the 
Catholic  hierarchy,  and,  especially,  the  three  Car- 
dinals who  have  ruled  the  diocese  of  Westminster, 
have  not  only  deported  themselves  as  devoted 


62  A  RETROSPECT  OF  EIFTY  YEARS 

cliurclimen,  but  that  they  have  taken  a  personal, 
loyal,  vital  interest  in  every  measure  that  contrib- 
uted to  the  moral,  social,  and  economic  welfare  of 
their  beloved  country. 

My  Brethren,  what  a  change  has  come  over  the 
face  of  this  city  since  the  death  of  Bishop  Chal- 
loner,  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  years  ago! 
So  stringent  and  oppressive  were  the  religious 
restrictions  in  his  day,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
observe  the  utmost  circumspection  in  breaking  the 
Bread  of  Life  and  dispensing  the  word  of  God  to 
his  scattered  flock.  His  latter  days  were  embit- 
tered by  beholding  his  chapels  ruthlessly  destroyed 
by  a  mob  in  the  ^^Lord  George  Gordon  riots."  He 
could  almost  literally  say  with  the  Prophet  Elias : 
*^With  zeal  have  I  been  zealous  for  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  because  the  children  of  Israel  have  forsaken 
Thy  covenant,  they  have  destroyed  Thy  altars; 
they  have  slain  Thy  Prophets  with  the  sword,  and 
I  alone  am  left,  and  they  seek  my  life,  to  take  it 
away. ' '    ( III  K. ,  xix. ) 

If  his  venerable  form  were  to  appear  before  us 
today,  he  would  behold  this  august  temple  radiant 
with  all  the  splendor  of  our  ceremonial,  amid  the 
enthusiastic  joy  of  the  Catholic  nobility,  gentry, 
and  people  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  with 
the  benevolent  interest  of  our  separated  brethren 
and  the  great  organs  of  public  opinion. 

Over  fifty  years  ago,  after  the  re-establishment 


EUCHARISTIC  CONGRESS  63 

of  the  English  Catholic  hierarchy,  at  the  synod  of 
Oscott,  the  illustrious  Dr.  Newman  preached  a 
sermon  on  the  '^Second  Spring/'  in  which,  in  his 
own  matchless  style  and  silver)^  voice,  he  spoke 
of  the  hopes  and  prospects  of  the  Church  in  Eng- 
land, after  the  winter  of  her  tribulations  had 
passed  away.  Had  God  spared  him  to  our  day, 
with  what  eloquence  could  he  portray  to  you  how 
the  Spring  had  bloomed  and  ripened  into  Summer ; 
and,  as  a  proof  of  this  development,  he  could  point 
to  this  mystical  tree  of  life,  under  whose  stately 
arches  we  are  all  assembled,  spreading  its  branches 
far  and  wide,  so  that,  from  henceforth,  thousands 
may  be  sheltered  beneath  its  ample  shade,  and  be 
nourished  by  its  perennial  fruit  of  grace  and  sanc- 
tification. 

All  honor  to  the  Catholic  nobility,  gentry,  and 
commonality  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  who, 
amid  trials  and  persecutions,  have  preserved  their 
faith  unsullied ;  who  regarded  the  name  of  Catholic 
as  more  precious  than  any  earthly  civic  title,  like 
the  Hebraw  lawgiver,  who  ^^  chose  rather  to  be 
afflicted  with  the  people  of  God,  than  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  sin  for  a  time,  esteeming  the  reproach 
of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  of  the 
Egyptians. '^ 

When  the  bishops,  clergy  and  people  are  united 
as  you  are,  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail ;  you  are 


64  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

sure  to  succeed.  You  form  a  triple  cord  whicli 
cannot  be  easily  broken. 

And  why  should  you  not  co-operate  with  the 
bishops  and  clergy  in  advancing  the  cause  of  truth 
and  righteousness?  Do  not  you  and  they  claim 
God  as  your  common  Father?  Are  you  not  broth- 
ers and  sisters  of  the  same  Christ?  Are  you  not 
sanctified  by  the  same  Holy  Spirit? 

^' There  are  diversities  of  graces,  but  the  same 
Spirit ;  and  there  are  diversities  of  ministries,  but 
the  same  Lord ;  and  there  are  diversities  of  opera- 
tions, but  the  same  God,  Who  worketh  all  in  all.'* 
Are  not  your  interests  alike?  Are  you  not  all  in 
the  same  bark  of  Peter,  subject  to  the  same  storms, 
and  steering  toward  the  same  eternal  shores, 
prospective  citizens  of  the  same  celestial  kingdom? 

If  any  nation  has  reason  to  join  hands  with  its 
spiritual  rulers,  and  to  glory  in  its  Catholic  tradi- 
tions, that  nation  is  England.  From  the  sixth  to 
the  sixteenth  centurv,  when  ^'the  whole  land  was 
of  one  tongue  and  of  one  speech,'^  when  the  faith 
of  its  people  was  identical,  the  history  of  Great 
Britain  is  emblazoned  with  the  names  of  Chris- 
tian princes  and  prelates  and  people,  who  have 
reflected  unfading  renown  on  their  country,  by 
their  sturdy  manhood,  their  unswerving  loyalty 
to  country,  and  their  deep-rooted  faith.  Though 
often  portrayed  by  unfriendly  hands,  prejudice 
has  not  been  able  to  obscure  their  glory  or  tarnish 


EUCHARISTIC  CONGRESS  65 

their  fame.  England's  prestige  would  have  suf- 
fered if  these  illustrious  names  had  never  been 
inscribed  on  her  roll  of  honor. 

Walk,  my  brethren,  in  the  footsteps  of  your 
pious  ancestors.  Let  it  be  your  aim  in  life  that 
the  Church's  heavenly  mission  of  giving  light  to 
them  that  sit  in  darkness,  and  of  comforting  the 
broken-hearted,  may  increase  day  by  day,  until 
England's  future  achievements  for  God  and  coun- 
try may  equal,  if  not  surpass,  her  former  record, 
even  as  Jerusalem's  new  temple  excelled  the  old. 

**  Arise,  be  enlightened,  0  Jerusalem,  for  thy 
light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen 
upon  thee.  The  Gentiles  shall  walk  in  thy  light, 
and  kings  in  the  brightness  of  thy  rising.  Lift  up 
thine  eyes  round  about  and  see :  all  these  are  gath- 
ered together,  they  are  come  to  thee :  thy  sons  shall 
come  from  afar,  and  thy  daughters  shall  rise  up 
at  thy  side.  Then  shalt  thou  see  and  abound,  and 
thy  heart  shall  wonder  and  be  enlarged,  when  the 
multitude  of  the  sea  shall  be  converted  to  thee, 
the  strength  of  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thee.*' 
May  these  words  of  Isaiah  be  a  prophecy  of  the 
good  things  yet  to  be  revealed  to  the  Church  in 
England,  as  well  as  a  vision  of  her  past  glory. 

Take  a  loyal,  personal  interest  in  all  that  con- 
cerns the  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare  of  your 
cherished  country.  No  one  should  be  a  drone  in 
the  social  hive.     Let  no  man  be  an  indifferent 


66  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

spectator  of  the  civil  and  political  events  occur- 
ring around  him.  When  we  are  enrolled  in  the 
army  of  the  Lord,  our  duty  to  our  country  is  not 
diminished,  but  increased.  As  you  all  enjoy  the 
protection  of  a  strong  and  enlightened  govern- 
ment, so  should  each  man  have  a  share  in  sus- 
taining the  burden  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Above  all,  take  an  abiding  and  a  vital  interest 
in  all  that  affects  the  welfare  of  your  holy  religion. 
Let  the  words  of  the  Psalmist  be  your  inspiring 
watchword:  '*If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let 
my  right  hand  be  forgotten.  Let  my  tongue  cleave 
to  the  roof  of  mv  mouth,  if  I  do  not  remember 
thee,  if  I  make  not  Jerusalem  the  beginning  of 
my  joy.'' 

And  now,  my  Dear  Archbishop,  I  beg  to  assure 
your  Grace,  that  I  am  not  using  any  conventional 
phrase  when  I  offer  you  my  hearty  congratula- 
tions on  the  consummation  of  your  cherished 
wishes  after  the  many  months  of  anxious  thought 
to  which  you  have  been  subjected. 

If  I  may  estimate  your  future  career  by  the  en- 
lightened zeal  and  healthy  progress  which  have 
already  marked  your  administration  of  this  Metro- 
politan See,  1  have  every  reason  to  believe  that 
you  will  leave  after  you  a  record  worthy  of  the 
three  illustrious  Prelates  that  have  preceded  you. 

It  must  be  a  source  of  profound  gratification 
to  you  to  be  surrounded  on  this  solemn  and  joyous 


EUCHAKISTIC  CONGRESS  •     67 

occasion  by  so  many  eminent  Cardinals,  by  your 
Brethren  of  the  Episcopate  and  of  the  Clergy  of 
the  British  Isles,  of  various  portions  of  the  Conti- 
nent of  Europe  and  of  North  America  and  Mexico, 
and  by  so  many  of  the  Catholic  nobility,  gentry  and 
people  of  England,  assembled  together  under  the 
inspiration  and  invocation  of  the  divine  Shepherd 
who  is  the  Soul  and  Centre  of  our  worship,  and 
who  is  to  be  ^'our  reward  exceeding  great." 

May  this  Eucharistic  banquet  of  which  we  par- 
take, increase  in  our  hearts  a  greater  love  and  de- 
votion for  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour,  and  for  His 
Vicar  upon  earth;  may  it  draw  us  all.  Bishops, 
Priests  and  People  more  closely  in  the  bonds  of 
Christian  fellowship  and  brotherhood;  and  may 
this  Love-Feast  be  an  earnest  and  foretaste  of  the 
heavenly  banquet  at  which  we  shall  recline  with 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  to  be  forever  *  inebriated  with  the  plenty 
of  God's  house,  and  to  drink  of  the  torrent  of 
delights.  ^ ' 


DEDICATION 

ST.  MARY'S  CHURCH 

HOBOKEN,  N.  J. 


SERMON  DEDICATION  OF  ST.  MARY'S 

CHURCH,   HOBOKEN,   N.   J.. 

NOVEMBER,  1878. 

II  Paralip  vil,  15-16. 

TO  build  a  churcli  for  the  worship  of  the  Al- 
mighty, is  an  honor,  a  duty,  and  a  bless- 
ing. 
In  the  first  place,  so  honorable  and  so  noble  is 
the  work  of  erecting  a  house  to  the  Lord,  that  in 
the  Old  Law  when  it  was  a  question  of  raising  up 
a  temple  to  the  Most  High,  the  enterprise  was  con- 
ceived by  one  king,  was  carried  into  execution 
by  another,  and  was  decorated  and  repaired  by  a 
third.  King  David  conceived  the  plan;  king  Sol- 
omon built  the  temple ;  king  Joas  and  other  kings 
repaired  and  adorned  it. 

And  so  in  the  Christian  dispensation,  from  the 
days  of  Constantine,  and  for  many  centuries  after- 
ward, it  was  Kings  and  Emperors  and  Princes,  in 
conjunction  with  the  chief  pastors  of  the  Church 
that  almost  exclusively  exercised  the  glorious  priv- 
ilege of  raising  up  in  their  respective  dominions, 
grand  Basilicas,  many  of  which  survive  to  this  day, 

68 


ST.  MARY'S,  HOBOKEN  69 

and  attest  the  piety  and  zeal  of  their  royal  foun- 
ders. The  Constantines  of  New  Rome,  the  Edwards 
of  England,  the  Margarets  of  Scotland,  the  Louises 
of  France,  the  Elizabeths  and  Stephens  of  Hun- 
gary, the  Canutes  of  Denmark  made  their  reigns 
conspicuous  by  the  monuments  of  piety  which  they 
erected  in  their  kingdoms. 

But  times  have  changed,  and  a  prerogative 
which  was  formerly  exercised  chiefly  by  crowned 
heads,  is  now  handed  over  to  the  people.  What 
kings  and  queens  alone  could  do  of  old,  you  may 
now  do  and  have  done,  in  erecting  this  church  to 
Almighty  God,  and  although  you  have  not  royal 
wealth,  you  have  proved  by  your  generous  offer- 
ings, that  you  have  royal  hearts;  (and  I  am  sure 
the  liberality  you  have  displayed  is  but  an  earnest 
of  what  you  will  yet  accomplish,  when  you  shall  be 
called  upon  to  contribute  to  the  erection  of  a  more 
imposing  structure  to  supersede  the  present 
edifice).  And  like  Cato  when  in  his  old  age,  he 
looked  with  pride  upon  the  wide-spreading  trees 
which  his  own  hands  had  planted  in  his  youth, 
so  will  you  one  day,  point  with  exulting  hearts,  to 
the  imposing  church  which  will  be  the  work  of  your 
hands,  and  which,  as  the  outgrowth  of  this  struc- 
ture, will  give  shelter  to  thousands  of  worshiping 
Christians  and  from  which  they  will  be  nourished 
with  the  Bread  of  Life. 

2nd.     In   erecting  this   house   of  prayer,   you 


70  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

not  only  exercise  an  exalted  prmlege,  but  you  per- 
form also  a  most  sacred  duty  of  gratitude,  for 
we  should  never  forget  that  we  have  nothing  which. 
is  essentially  our  own.  We  possess  only  borrowed 
goods,  of  which  we  have  but  a  temporary  and  un- 
certain lease.  ^^AVhat  hast  thou  that  thou  hast 
not  received!"  Everything  that  exists  is  the  ab- 
solute property  of  God.  ''The  earth  is  the  Lord's 
and  the  fulness  thereof."  Your  goods  belong  to 
Jlim.  Your  body  with  all  its  senses  belongs  to 
Him,  for,  it  is  the  work  of  His  hand.  ''Thy 
hands,  0  Lord,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "have  framed 
and  fashioned  me."  Your  soul  with  all  its  facul- 
ties comes  directly  from  Him.  Nay,  your  very  life 
is  the  gift  of  His  mercy,  and  will  be  taken  away  at 
His  good  pleasure.  God  has  no  need  then  of  your 
goods,  nor  does  He  need  your  worship;  myriads 
of  unseen  angels  minister  to  Him  on  earth,  as  they 
do  in  heaven. 

Nevertheless  He  vouchsafes  to  be  pleased  with 
the  pious  offering  you  have  made  Him  of  this 
house  of  worship,  just  as  a  father  joyfully  accepts 
from  his  child,  a  present  as  a  mark  of  filial  affec 
tion,  though  bought  with  money  which  he  himself 
had  given  to  his  child.  Our  Saviour  accepted  with 
satisfaction  the  gifts  of  the  Magi,  though  He  had 
no  need  of  them.  And  0 !  How  joyfully  He  accepted 
that  first  humble  temple  where  the  carpet  was  of 
straw,  the  altar  a  manger,  and  the  very  temple 


ST.  MAEY'S,  HOBOKEN  71 

itself  a  stable.  *'He  came  unto  His  own  and  His 
own  received  Him  not."  You  have  not  so  re- 
ceived Him.  For  it  is  not  the  costliness  of  the  gift 
which  delights  our  Lord,  but  it  is  the  loving  heart 
which  presents  it.  He  desired  to  come  among  men, 
and  Our  Lady  and  St.  Joseph  gave  Him  the  best 
that  they  had,  and  so  have  you.  He  desired  to 
dwell  in  your  midst,  for  ^*His  desire  is  to  dwell 
with  the  children  of  men."  And  you  have  built 
Him  this  house  adorned  with  the  best  which  your 
piety  could  provide.  And  you  have  cheerfully 
responded  to  the  call  of  your  Pastor,  as  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  responded  to  the  call  of  Moses  when 
they  poured  in  upon  him  their  gold  and  silver  and 
precious  stones  for  the  adornment  of  the  taber- 
nacle in  the  desert. 

But  in  erecting  this  church,  you  discharge  not 
only  a  duty  of  gratitude  to  God,  but  also  a  duty  of 
religion.  You  pay  back  to  ^Hhe  Giver  of  all  good 
gifts,"  not  only  a  portion  of  what  belongs  to  Him, 
but  you  pay  to  Him  also  the  tribute  of  your  praise, 
of  your  devotion  and  the  supreme  worship  which 
is  His  due.  You  make  a  sublime  act  of  faith  in  the 
existence  of  God,  His  superintending  Providence, 
His  supreme  dominion.  Upon  the  cross  sur- 
mounting this  church,  and  upon  this  altar,  you 
write  in  bold  and  legible  words : 

**I  believe  in  God,  the  Father  Almighty,  and 
in  Jesus  Christ,  His  only  Son.    I  believe  in  the 


n  A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

Holy  Ghost,  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church  and  in 
Life  Everlasting.'' 

Henceforth  every  act  performed  in  this  house 
will  be  a  recognition  of  God's  sovereignty,  and  a 
sacred  link  binding  you  to  your  Father  in  heaven. 
Hither  you  will  come  day  after  day  to  present 
your  petitions  to  that  Heavenly  Father,  and  to  re- 
ceive favors  at  His  hands. 

Here  your  children  at  the  sacred  font  of  baptism, 
will  be  made  the  fellow-citizens  of  the  saints,  and 
free-born  children  of  God. 

Here  they  will  be  enrolled  in  eonfirmation, 
among  the  militia  of  Christ,  and  strengthened  to 
fight  the  battles  of  the  Lord. 

Here  you  will  be  nourished  with  the  Bread  of 
Life  in  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament  of  the  Altar. 

Here  you  will  appear  as  self-accusing  sinners 
before  that  merciful  tribunal  which  was  estab- 
lished not  to  condemn  but  to  save. 

Here  young  men  and  maidens  will  have  their 
marriage  union  blessed  by  God's  appointed  priest. 

And  as  after  entering  into  life,  the  waters  of 
baptism  will  here  be  poured  on  your  children's 
heads,  so  when  they  have  passed  into  death,  will 
penitential  prayers  and  tears  be  poured  on  them 
here,  before  they  are  consigned  to  the  dust  from 
which  they  came. 

And  here  God's  holy  law  will  be  proclaimed  to 
you.    The  same  commandments  that  were  given 


ST.  MARY'S,  HOBOKEN  73 

to  the  Jewish  people  on  Mount  Sinai,  these  are 
the  commandments  that  will  be  preached  to  you. 
The  same  prophetic  warnings  that  were  once 
uttered  on  the  mountain  of  Sinai,  shall  be  re- 
peated to  you.  The  same  blessed  Gospel  of  Peace 
that  was  delivered  on  the  mount  by  our  Saviour, 
even  that  same  Gospel  shall  be  delivered  to  you. 
The  same  holy  lessons  of  morality  and  wisdom 
that  were  announced  by  the  Apostles,  shall  be  also 
announced  to  you.  The  same  doctrine  that  Saint 
Peter  preached  in  Eome,  Saint  Paul  in  Athens, 
Saint  John  in  Ephesus,  Saint  Andrew  in  Thrace, 
Saint  Chrysostom  in  Constantinople,  Saint  Augus- 
tine in  England,  Saint  Patrick  in  Ireland,  these 
and  no  others  are  the  instructions  that  shall  be 
placed  before  you  for  your  acceptance,  without  ad- 
dition, without  substraction,  without  change,  for 
''Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yesterday,  today  and 
forever. ' ' 

Advantages:  But  moreover  in  erecting  this 
house  of  prayer,  you  not  only  discharge  a  duty  of 
gratitude  and  religion  towards  God,  but  you  also 
confer  inestimable  advantages  on  yourselves  and 
on  posterity.  If  the  man  who  causes  a  blade  of 
grass  to  grow,  where  none  grew  before,  benefits 
his  race,  what  countless  blessings  do  you  confer  on 
society  by  causing  this  edifice  to  spring  up  in  your 
midst  in  which  human  souls  are  to  be  nourished  by 
heavenly  food.    Let  your  imagination  in  its  high- 


U  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

est  flight  and  broadest  range,  picture  to  itself  the 
vast  number  of  persons  who  from  this  day  forth 
into  the  distant  future,  will  be  regenerated  in  the 
waters  of  baptism  in  this  church,  strengthened  in 
confirmation,  and  fed  by  the  Bread  of  Life.  Visua- 
lize if  you  can,  the  long  line  of  penitents  who  will 
enter  here  with  crushed  and  bleeding  hearts,  and 
who  will  go  out  healed  by  the  balm  of  Divine  con- 
solation, restored  to  the  friendship  of  God  and 
reconciled  to  their  enemies;  who  will  have  their 
passions  subdued,  and  the  peace  of  God  whicli  sur- 
passeth  all  understanding,  planted  in  their  hearts. 
Enumerate  the  catalogue  of  sermons  that  will  be 
preached  from  this  sanctuary,  and  the  instructions 
that  will  be  imparted  to  your  children  and  to  your 
children's  children.  Place  before  you  this  vast 
amount  of  good  to  be  accomplished.  Contemplate 
those  streams  of  grace  ever  flowing  from  this  altar, 
and  then  and  not  till  then,  can  you  realize  the  bless- 
ings bestowed  on  posterity  by  the  ceremony  of 
today. 

But  if  the  erection  of  this  church  will  redound 
to  the  welfare  of  posterity,  it  will  also  prove  a 
source  of  signal  blessings  to  yourselves.  Holy 
Scripture  says  that  ^Hhey  who  instruct  others 
unto  justice,  will  shine  like  stars  for  all  eternity." 
"And,  as  it  is  your  pious  offerings  that  have  en- 
abled your  Pastor  to  build  this  church  and  to 
announce  in  it  the  word  of  God,  so  will  you  share 


ST.  MARY'S,  HOBOKEN  75 

in  the  reward  of  those  whose  office  it  is  to  instruct 
the  faithful. 

God's  Holy  Word  abounds  with  examples  of 
divine  favors  bestowed  upon  those  who  were  in- 
strumental in  erecting  a  house  of  God.  David 
conceived  the  pious  project  of  building  a  temple 
to  the  Almighty,  and  the  Lord  rewarded  his  devout 
intention  by  promising  to  perpetuate  his  kingdom. 
Solomon  carried  into  execution  the  religious  de- 
sign of  his  father  by  founding  a  magnificent 
temple,  and  the  Lord  blessed  him  with  a  degree 
of  supernatural  wisdom  which  was  never  sur- 
passed and  never  equalled,  and  renewed  to  him 
the  promise  He  had  made  to  his  father  David,  of 
prolonging  his  kingdom  on  condition  that  he 
would  faithfully  follow  the  divine  precepts.  And 
if  God's  promises  were  but  partially  fulfilled,  it 
was  because  Solomon  had  violated  the  conditions 
to  which  the  divine  promises  were  annexed,  and 
had  defiled  the  temple  of  God  by  the  introduction 
of  the  abomination  of  idolatry. 

It  is  related  in  the  Gospel  that  the  elders  of  the 
Jews  went  once  to  Jesus,  asking  Him  to  heal  a 
favorite  servant  of  the  centurian  who  was  dan- 
gerously ill  with  the  palsy.  And  what  was  the 
motive  which  they  urged  upon  our  Lord  for  the 
exercise  of  His  clemency:  *^ Grant,  0  Lord,  the 
prayer  of  the  centurian,''  they  exclaimed,  ^^For 
he  loveth  our  nation,  and  he  hath  built  us  a  syna- 


76  A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

gogue.''  They  might  have  told  our  Saviour  that 
the  centurian  was  an  affectionate  husband  and  a 
kind  father,  and  a  humane  master ;  that  he  was  a 
benefactor  to  the  poor.  But  they  merely  said, 
**He  hath  built  us  a  synagogue, '^  or  house  of 
prayer,  and  their  petition  was  answered.  The 
servant  was  instantly  healed. 

My  dear  brethren,  if  our  Lord  was  so  kind  to 
the  centurian  who  had  built  merely  a  sjraagogue, 
will  He  be  less  kind  to  you  who  have  erected  this 
house  of  prayer  in  which  He  will  perpetually 
dwell?  If  a  cup  of  water  given  in  the  name  of 
Christ  is  not  without  its  reward,  what  may  you 
not  expect  who  have  caused  the  waters  of  Divine 
Grace  to  flow  perennially  within  these  walls  from 
the  fountain  of  the  Saviour  I 

If  the  house  of  Obededom  was  blessed  because 
the  ark  of  the  Lord  once  rested  there,  what  favors 
may  you  not  receive  who  have  built  a  house  in 
which  the  Lord  of  the  ark  may  continually  dwell. 

If  David  and  Solomon  were  so  acceptable  to 
God  for  planning  and  erecting  and  adorning  the 
Jewish  temple,  will  not  your  fervent  prayers  be 
answered  who  have  aided  your  Pastor  in  building 
a  Christian  church?  For,  as  far  as  the  new  law 
surpasses  the  old,  so  far  does  the  Christian  church 
excel  in  holiness-  the  Jewish  temple.  The  former 
contained  but  the  Tables  of  the  Law  and  the  Ark 


ST.  MARY'S,  HOBOKEN  77 

of  the  Covenant,  while  the  latter  contains  the  Law- 
giver Himself  and  the  Lord  of  the  Covenant. 

But  I  should  not  be  expressing  your  feelings 
nor  mine  on  this  occasion,  if,  in  commending  the 
laity,  I  should  overlook  the  name  of  your  Pastor. 
If  so  much  credit  is  due  to  you  for  your  generous 
material  aid,  how  much  greater  reward  is  merited 
by  this  good  priest  who  has  been  the  heart  and 
soul  of  this  enterprise,  who  has  collected  your 
offerings  with  so  much  labor,  has  expended  them 
with  so  much  judgment  and  discretion,  and  who  has 
superintended  the  construction  of  this  building 
with  as  much  zeal  as  Nebemias  superintended  the 
rebuilding  of  Solomon's  temple  from  its  founda- 
tion to  its  happy  completion. 

May  the  success  which  has  attended  him  in 
erecting  this  material  edifice,  crown  his  efforts  in 
building  up  in  your  hearts  the  spiritual  edifice  of 
faith,  and  adorning  that  true  temple  of  God  with 
the  precious  ornament  of  Divine  Grace,  *'That 
Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts,  that  being  rooted 
in  charity  you  may  be  able  to  comprehend  with  all 
the  saints  what  is  the  breadth  and  length  and 
heighth  and  depth  of  the  love  of  Christ"  for  you. 
For,  remember,  that  the  noblest  edifice  ever  raised 
by  the  hands  of  man  to  the  glory  of  God,  is  but  an 
empty  shell  compared  with  the  temple  of  the  soul 
when  it  is  illumined  by  faith  and  adorned  with 
virtue. 


78  A  EETKOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

And  as  you  have  co-operated  with  your  Pastor 
in  the  past,  so  may  you  continue  to  do  in  the  future. 
May  your  hearts  ever  beat  in  unison  with  his,  for 
you  know  well  that  his  whole  life  is  sacrificed  for 
you,  and  that  he  can  truly  say  with  the  apostle, 
^*Most  gladly  will  I  spend  and  be  spent  for  your 
souls."  If  he  prays,  it  is  for  you;  if  he  preaches, 
it  is  to  you;  if  he  administers  the  sacrament  it  is 
that  you  may  be  sanctified  thereby ;  if  he  offers  up 
the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  mass  it  is  that  he  may 
draw  down  blessings  upon  those  who  are  still  in 
the  flesh,  and  eternal  rest  for  your  dear  ones  who 
have  passed  beyond  the  vale  of  tears.  His  labors  by 
night  and  day,  his  watchings,  his  self-denials,  all — • 
all  are  for  you. 

Come  often,  then,  to  worship  here ;  to  invoke  the 
protection  of  God  and  the  pious  patronage  of  your 
patron  saint ;  and  as  a  reward  for  your  piety,  may 
the  God  of  all  consolation  whisper  to  you  what  He 
said  to  Solomon  of  old:  **My  eyes  shall  be  open 
and  my  ears  shall  be  attentive  to  the  prayer  of 
him  that  shall  pray  in  this  place.  For  I  have 
chosen  and  sanctified  this  place  that  My  name  may 
be  here  forever  and  My  eyes  and  heart  may  remain 
here  perpetually." 


PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES  OF 
POPE  LEO  XIII 


,' 


PERSONAL  REMINISCENSES  OF  POPE  LEO  XIII: 
SERMON  PREACHED  IN  THE  BALTI- 
MORE CATHEDRAL,  APRIL,  1902. 

FOE  nearly  two  thousand  years  the  Bishop  of 
Eome  has  been  the  most  conspicuous  figure 
in  the  theatre  of  public  life.  The  name  of 
the  Sovereign  Pontiff  is  indelibly  marked  on  the 
pages  of  ecclesiastical  history.  It  is  intimately 
and  inseparably  associated  with  the  progress, 
enlightment  and  Christian  civilization  of  the 
world.  The  Pope  ever  stands  before  us  as  the 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  army  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts.  One  might  as  well  shut  out  the  light  of  day 
and  the  air  of  heaven  from  his  daily  walks,  as 
exclude  the  Roman  Pontiff  from  his  legitimate  and 
paramount  sphere  in  the  hierarchy  of  the  Church. 
The  history  of  the  United  States  with  the  Presi- 
dents left  out  would  be  more  intelligible  than  the 
history  of  the  Christian  religion  with  the  omission 
of  the  name  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ. 

The  supremacy  of  Peter's  successor  confronts 
ns  at  every  step  in  our  historical  researches.  Down 
the  ages,  whenever  a  Bishop  of  the  Church  felt 

79 


80  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

aggrieved  by  the  domineering  conduct  of  his  col- 
leagues or  by  the  persecution  of  the  civil  rulers, 
Ee  had  recourse  to  Kome,  as  the  highest  and  final 
court  of  appeal,  and  he  was  sure  to  have  his  griev- 
ances redressed. 

All  the  great  Fathers  and  Doctors  of  the  East- 
ern as  well  as  the  Western  Church,  such  as  Basil, 
Cyril,  Chrysostom,  Ambrose,  Augustine  and 
Jerome,  recognized  and  revered  the  supreme  juris- 
diction of  the  See  of  Eome. 

Up  to  the  present  time,  twenty  General  or 
Ecumenical  Councils  have  been  held  in  the  Church. 
They  are  so  called  because  they  are  concerned 
with  the  interests  of  religion  throughout  the  world. 
The  First  General  Council  was  held  at  Nice,  in  the 
Fourth  Century;  and  the  last  was  the  Vatican 
Council  which  assembled  in  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury. The  Bishops  of  Eome  convoked  all  these 
Councils  or  at  least  assented  to  their  convocation. 
They  presided  in  person  or  by  their  legates  over 
nearly  all  of  them,  and  the  decrees  which  were 
framed  had  not  the  force  of  law  until  they  were 
approved  by  the  Holy  See. 

To  take  another  instance  from  history  in  proof 
of  the  controlling  influence  of  the  Papacy  in  the 
government  and  the  expansion  of  the  Church:  It 
is  a  remarkable  fact  that  almost  everv  nation  hith- 
erto  converted  to  Christianity  has  received  the 
light  of  Faith  from  missionaries  either  specially 


POPE  LEO  XIII  81 

commissioned  by  the  See  of  Eome  or  in  open  com- 
munion with  that  See. 

Augustine,  who  converted  England,  was  sent  by 
Pope  St.  Gregory.  St.  Patrick,  who  converted  Ire- 
land, was  sent  by  Pope  Celestine.  The  mission- 
aries who  went  from  Ireland  to  Scotland,  and  who 
converted  Northern  England,  from  Scotland,  were 
in  open  communion  with  the  Apostolic  See,  as  was 
also  Boniface — or  to  give  him  his  English  name, 
Winfrid — the  Englishman  who  became  the  Apos- 
tle of  Germany  and  Bavaria.  Even  Eussia,  schis- 
matic as  she  is,  now  looks  to  Cyril  and  Methodius 
as  her  Apostles,  and  they  were  sent  from  Eome, 
and  from  Eome  received  permission  to  celebrate 
the  Mass  and  the  divine  office  in  the  ancient  Slavic 
tongue,  a  permission  which  the  Slavic  Churches 
of  the  Greek  Eite  and  a  few  of  the  Latin  Eite  still 
enjoy. 

In  the  Sixteenth  and  the  Seventeenth  Centuries, 
the  Indies,  Japan  and  our  own  Western  Continent 
owe  their  evangelization  to  men  sent  out  from  the 
same  centre  of  authority.  Here  in  North  America 
they  explored  our  lakes,  our  rivers  and  our  moun- 
tains, everywhere  carrying  the  torch  of  Faith  to 
the  aboriginal  tribes,  but  always  they  exercised 
their  ministry  in  subjection  to  and  by  the  author- 
ity of  the  Bishop  of  Eome,  the  Vicar  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

And  should  not  every  impartial  man  gratefully 


82  A  RETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

acknowledge  that  even  those  Christians  of  the 
United  States  who  are  now  separated  from  com- 
munion with  the  See  of  Eome,  are  primarily 
indebted  to  the  successors  of  Peter  for  the  Chris- 
tianity they  possess?  For,  all  the  white  inhab- 
itants of  our  country  are  descended  from  some 
European  nation,  and  every  nation  of  Europe,  as 
we  have  seen,  received  the  Faith  of  Christ  from 
apostolic  men  who  were  in  active  communion  with 
the  See  of  Eome. 

As  we  are  commemorating  today  the  diamond 
jubilee  of  our  Holy  Father,  Leo  XIII,  it  is  proper 
that  I  should  make  some  special  allusion  to  the  life 
of  that  illustrious  Pontiff. 

Joachim  Pecci — the  family  name  of  the  Pope — 
was  born  on  the  second  of  March,  1810.  He  has, 
consequently,  entered  on  his  ninety-third  year,  and 
has  almost  spanned  a  century.  My  revered  prede- 
cessor, Archbishop  Spalding,  died  upwards  of 
thirty  years  ago,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  venerable  in  years  and  in  appearance,  for  his 
hair  was  silvered  with  age.  Yet  had  he  lived  to 
this  day,  he  would  be  a  younger  man  than  Leo.  His 
Holiness  was  ordained  a  priest  in  December,  1837, 
and  was  consecrated  Archbishop  in  1843,  nearly 
sixty  years  ago.  He  was  already  an  Archbishop 
before  the  vast  majority  of  this  congregation  were 
born,  and  he  has  already  lived  longer  in  the  epis- 
copacy than  any  of  his  predecessors.     He  was 


POPE  LEO  XIII  83 

created  a  Cardinal  in  1853,  and  was  raised  to 
the  Chair  of  Peter  in  1878.  Only  two  Popes  have 
exceeded  Leo  in  longevity — ^Agatho  and  Gregory 
IX — and  only  three  Supreme  Pontiffs  have  ruled 
the  universal  Church  for  a  longer  period ;  namely, 
St.  Peter,  Pius  VII  and  Pius  IX,  and  if  Leo  sur- 
vives another  year,  he  will  have  been  Bishop  of 
Eome  longer  than  even  Peter  and  Pius  VII.* 

Of  the  two  hundred  and  sixty  Popes  who  have 
sat  in  the  Chair  of  Peter,  few  of  them  have  exerted 
a  wider  and  more  beneficent  influence  on  the  social, 
the  political  and  the  religious  world  than  the 
Pontiff  now  happily  reigning.  He  is  a  consum- 
mate statesman  as  well  as  an  enlightened  church- 
man. 

In  the  course  of  his  Pontificate,  he  has  issued  a 
series  of  masterly  and  luminous  Encyclicals  which 
have  served  as  moral  landmarks  to  his  spiritual 
children  and  have  commanded  the  respect  and 
admiration  of  the  civilized  world.  They  always 
discuss  topics  of  timely  and  vital  interest.  In  the 
brief  space  at  my  disposal,  I  have  time  to  refer 
only  to  three  of  these  public  letters. 

The  first  Encyclical  to  which  I  shall  allude  is  on 
*' Christian  Marriage,"  which  was  published  in 
1880.    The  Holy  Father  vindicates  in  strong  and 

*  Leo  XIII  died  July  20,  1903,  in  the  ninety-fourth  year  of 
his  age,  and,  consequently,  the  term  of  his  Pontificate  has 
exceeded  those  of  all  his  predecessors  except  that  of  Pius  IX. 


84  A  RETROSPECT  OF  EIFTY  YEARS 

earnest  language  the  nnity,  the  sanctity  and  the 
indissolubility  of  the  marriage  bond.  He  tells  us 
that  the  married  couple  are  the  source  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  the  family  is  the  source  of  society.  Social 
life  cannot  be  maintained  in  its  purity  and  integ- 
rity, unless  it  is  sanctified  at  the  fountain-head  of 
the  home. 

The  Encyclical  ^^On  the  Condition  of  Work- 
men*' was  promulgated  in  1891,  and  is  an  exhaus- 
tive document  on  the  rights  and  duties  of  the 
laboring  classes.  Never  did  the  Kedeemer  of  man- 
kind confer  a  greater  temporal  blessing  on  human- 
ity than  by  ennobling  and  sanctifying  manual  labor 
and  by  rescuing  it  from  the  degradation  which  had 
been  attached  to  it. 

Christ  comes  into  the  world,  not  surrounded  by 
the  pomp  and  splendor  of  imperial  majesty,  but 
He  appears  as  the  reputed  son  of  an  artisan: 
''Is  not  this  the  carpenter,  the  son  of  Mary^'  the 
people  said  of  Him.  He  has  shed  a  halo  around 
the  work-shop,  and  has  lightened  the  workman's 
tools  by  assuming  the  trade  of  an  artisan. 

If  the  professions  of  a  Soldier,  of  a  Jurist  and 
of  a  Prelate  are  dignified  by  the  examples  of  a 
Washington,  a  Taney  and  a  Carroll,  how  much, 
more  is  the  calling  of  a  mechanic  ennobled  by  the 
example  of  Christ! 

A  conflict  between  labor  and  capital  is  as  unrea- 
sonable as  would  be  a  contention  between  the  head 


POPE  LEO  XIII      ^  85 

and  the  hands.  The  interests  of  capital  and  labor 
are  correlative.  Capital  without  labor  would  be 
unproductive.  Labor  without  capital  would  be 
unprofitable.  What  would  it  avail  a  capitalist  to 
say:  Behold,  this  mountain  of  coal  is  mine,  if 
there  were  no  hardy  sons  of  toil  to  extract  the 
coal  from  its  recesses  and  send  it  to  the  market? 
What  would  it  profit  the  laborer  to  exhibit  his 
brawny  arms  and  his  skill,  if  there  were  no  cap- 
italist to  give  him  employment? 

The  third  Encyclical  to  which  I  shall  allude, 
appeared  in  1885  and  treats  of  *^The  Constitution 
of  Christian  States. '  *  In  this  document  the  Holy 
Father  clearly  demonstrates  that  the  Catholic 
Church  can  adapt  herself  to  all  forms  of  civil 
government.  When  I  was  invited  to  Rome  by  the 
Pope  in  1887  to  receive  the  insignia  of  a  Cardinal, 
I  delivered  an  address  in  the  Church  of  Santa 
Maria  in  Trastevere,  my  titular  Church;  and  as  I 
took  the  Encyclical  for  the  text  of  my  remarks,  I 
cannot  do  better  than  to  give  the  following  abstract 
of  the  sermon  which  was  pronounced  on  that  occa- 
sion: *'Our  Holy  Father,  in  his  luminous  En- 
cylical  on  the  Constitution  of  Christian  States, 
declares  that  the  Church  is  not  committeed  to  any 
particular  form  of  civil  government.  She  adapts 
herself  to  all.  She  leavens  all  with  the  leaven  of 
the  Gospel.  She  has  lived  under  absolute  empires, 
under  constitutional  monarchies  and  in  free  repub- 


86  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

lies ;  and  everywhere  slie  grows  and  expands.  She 
has  often  been  hampered  in  her  Divine  mission, 
she  has  been  forced  to  struggle  for  existence  wher- 
ever despotism  casts  its  dark  shadow,  like  a  plant 
excluded  from  the  blessed  sunlight  of  heaven. 
But  she  blossoms  like  a  rose  in  the  genial  air 
of  liberty. ' ' 

*'For  myself,  as  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
and  without  closing  my  eyes  to  our  shortcomings 
as  a  nation,  I  say  with  a  deep  sense  of  national 
pride  and  gratitude  that  I  belong  to  a  country 
where  the  civil  government  holds  over  us  the  aegis 
of  its  protection  without  interfering  with  us  in  the 
legitimate  exercises  of  our  mission  as  ministers  of 
the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Our  country  enjoys  liberty 
regulated  by  law,  and  exercises  authority  with- 
out depotism.  She  rears  no  wall  to  exclude  the 
stranger  from  coming  among  us.  She  has  no 
frowning  fortifications  to  repel  an  invader.  She 
rests  secure  in  the  consciousness  of  her  strength 
and  her  good  will  toward  all." 

**Her  harbors  are  open  to  welcome  the  honest 
immigrant — who  comes  to  advance  his  temporal 
interests  and  to  find  a  peaceful  home  amongst  us. 

''But  while  we  are  acknowledged  to  have  a  free 
government,  perhaps  we  do  not  receive  the  credit 
that  belongs  to  us  for  possessing  also  a  strong 
government.  Yes,  our  nation  is  strong,  and  her 
strength  lies,  under  the  overruling  guidance  of 


POPE  LEO  XIII  87 

Providence,  in  the  majesty  and  supremacy  of  the 
law,  in  the  loyalty  of  her  citizens,  and  in  the  affec- 
tion of  her  people  for  her  free  institutions.  There 
are  indeed  grave  social  problems  engaging  the 
attention  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States ;  but 
I  have  no  doubt  that,  with  God's  blessing,  these 
problems  will  be  solved  by  the  calm  judgment  and 
sound  sense  of  the  American  people,  without  viol- 
ence or  revolution  or  any  injury  to  individual 
rights/' 

Before  I  conclude  I  would  like  to  refer  briefly 
to  some  of  my  personal  recollections  of  the  Holy 
Father.  During  my  episcopal  career  I  have  visited 
Eome  six  times,  and  on  each  occurrence  I  have 
met  the  present  Pope.  My  first  visit  to  Eome  was 
on  the  occasion  of  the  Vatican  Council  in  1869. 
The  Holy  Father  was  then  known  as  Cardinal 
Pecci,  Archbishop  of  Perugia.  His  image  is  now 
before  me  as  he  appeared  during  the  Council.  He 
impressed  me  then  as  a  courtly  Prelate  of  a  strik- 
ing personality,  as  a  man  who  would  be  singled 
out  as  a  conspicuous  churchman  in  a  group  of 
eminent  ecclesiastics. 

As  the  youngest  Bishop  in  the  Council  I  was 
naturally  very  much  interested  in  its  prominent 
members,  and  I  noticed  that  while  Cardinal  Pecci 
never  spoke  in  any  of  the  general  congregations, 
he  was  one  of  the  Cardinals  most  consulted  in 
private.    He  made  his  influence  deeply  felt,  and 


88  A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

this  was  not  only  tlie  influence  of  a  striking  per- 
sonality but  it  was  also  the  influence  of  a  deeply 
learned  theologian  and  of  a  saintly  Prelate. 

My  next  visit  to  Eome  was  in  1880,  two  years 
after  Leo  was  elected  to  the  Chair  of  Peter.  I 
well  remember  with  what  eagerness  and  delight 
I  determined  to  thank  the  Holy  Father  for  having 
invested  John  Henry  Newman  with  the  sacred 
purple.  Few  official  acts  of  the  Soverign  Pontiff 
were  received  with  more  genuine  satisfaction  by 
the  English-speaking  world  than  this  practical  and 
graceful  recognition  of  the  eminent  services  ren- 
dered to  religion  by  England's  illustrious  scholar 
and  divine. 

During  the  same  summer,  in  company  with 
Bishop  Curtis,  I  paid  a  visit  to  Cardinal  Newman 
at  his  home  in  Edgbaston  near  Birmingham.  We 
breakfasted  with  him  and  spent  the  morning  with 
him  in  the  most  entertaining  conversation.  I  need 
not  say  with  what  keen  pleasure  I  listened  to  the 
wealth  of  anecdote  and  narrative  that  flowed  so 
abundantly  from  his  well-stored  mind. 

The  third  time  I  met  Leo  XIII  was  in  the 
fall  of  1883  and  the  spring  of  1884.  The  Holy 
Father  had  invited  the  Archbishops  of  the  United 
States  to  Eome  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  series 
of  Conferences  with  three  of  the  most  learned 
Eoman  Cardinals.  These  Conferences  formed  the 
basis  of  the  Third  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore 


POPE  LEO  XIII  89 

which  was  held  in  November,  1884,  and  which  was 
the  most  numerous  and  important  assemblage  of 
Bishops  that  met  outside  of  the  Eternal  City  for 
three  centuries. 

My  fourth  visit  to  the  Holy  Father  was  in  1887 
when  his  Holiness  invited  me  to  Eome  to  confer 
on  me  the  unmerited  honor  of  the  Cardinalitial 
insignia.  During  my  sojourn  in  Eome  that  year, 
as  well  as  on  other  occasions,  the  Pope  bestowed 
upon  me  many  marks  of  his  paternal  affection  and 
friendship.  These  many  evidences  of  his  Sov- 
ereign benevolence  are  too  sacred  for  public  utter- 
ance, but  they  are  indelibly  imprinted  on  my  heart 
and  memory. 

I  again  saw  the  Holy  Father  in  1895,  and  lastly 
in  the  Summer  of  1901.  I  perceived  little  alteration 
in  his  appearance,  except  that  his  form  appeared 
to  be  more  bent  and  his  emaciated  face  was  almost 
as  white  and  transparent  as  an  alabaster  statue. 
But  his  eye  retained  the  brightness  and  penetra- 
tion, his  mind,  the  vigor  and  lucidity  of  former 
years,  and  his  memory  was  strikingly  retentive, 
as  was  evident  from  several  incidents  which  oc- 
curred in  my  presence.  On  one  occasion  I  intro- 
duced to  his  Holiness  a  young  married  couple  from 
Quebec.  As  soon  as  I  mentioned  Quebec,  the  Pope 
remarked:  *^0h,  you  are  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  Archbishop  Begin. "  He  added:  **Monsignor 
Begin  is  the  successor  of  Cardinal  Taschereau." 


90  A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

Then  turning  to  me,  lie  said:  *' Cardinal  Tasch- 
ereau  received  the  Red  Hat  with  your  Eminence.'' 
We  may  judge  of  the  accuracy  of  his  retentive 
faculty  from  the  consideration  that  upwards  of 
fourteen  years  had  expired  since  this  incident 
occurred. 

On  another  occasion  I  accompanied  his  Holiness 
while  he  was  giving  an  audience,  in  the  Aula  Clem- 
entina to  visitors  from  various  parts  of  the  Chris- 
tian world.  The  Pope  asked  a  lady,  surrounded  by 
her  children,  whence  she  came.  She  replied  by  giv- 
ing the  name  of  a  Spanish  city.  He  at  once  re- 
marked: *'You  have  recently  lost  your  Bishop." 
We  cannot  but  admire  this  retentive  memory, 
when  we  consider  that  the  Pope  is  in  frequent  com- 
munication with  upwards  of  one  thousand  Bishops 
scattered  throughout  the  globe. 

In  1887,  when  the  Holy  Father  was  celebrating 
the  golden  jubilee  of  his  priesthood,  congratula- 
tions were  offered  to  him  by  nearly  all  the  govern- 
ments of  the  world.  During  the  festivities  at 
Rome,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  on  receiving  an 
autograph  letter  from  Grover  Cleveland,  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  requesting  me  to  convey 
his  felicitations  to  Pope  Leo,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
jubilee.  I  immediately  called  on  the  President  to 
thank  him  for  his  most  acceptable  message;  and 
he  supplemented  his  courteous  act  by  forwarding 
to  me  a  few  days  afterward,  an  elegantly  bound 


POPE  LEO  XIII  91 

copy  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  to 
be  presented  to  His  Holiness.  I  informed  the 
President  that  his  gift  was  most  opportune,  as  the 
country  was  commemorating  that  year,  the  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  adoption  of  the  Consti- 
tution. 

I  know  not  whether  Providence  will  spare  me 
to  pay  homage  to  other  Supreme  Pontiffs,  but 
whether  my  life  be  short  or  long,  or  whatever  may 
be  the  future  line  of  Popes  sitting  on  the  Chair 
of  Peter,  I  shall  always  cherish  a  special  filial 
affection  and  the  tenderest  memories  of  Leo  XIII. 

Let  us  unite  in  praying  for  him  in  the  words  of 
the  Eoyal  Psalmist  and  which  will  be  chanted  at 
the  close  of  the  Mass:  ''Dominus  conservet  eum 
et  vivificet  eum,  et  heatum  faciat  eum  in  terra,  et 
non  tradat  eum  in  manus  inimicorum  ejus,"  May 
the  Lord  preserve  him  and  prolong  his  life  and 
make  him  blessed  on  the  earth,  and  deliver  him 
not  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies.'' 


THE  CONCLAVE  WHICH 
ELECTED  PIUS  X 


SERMON  ON  THE  CONCLAVE  WHICH 

ELECTED  PIUS  X,  CATHEDRAL. 

BALTIMORE.  OCT.  4.  1 903. 

YOU  naturally  expect  me  to  make  some  brief 
observations  in  reference  to  the  recent  Con- 
clave which  elected  Pius  X,  and  to  the  new 
Pontiff  who  has  been  happily  chosen  to  preside 
over  the  Church  of  God. 

Seventy  members  constitute  the  Sacred  College, 
when  that  body  is  complete.  But  the  College  rarely 
attains  that  number,  as  between  one  Consistory 
and  another,  several  deaths  are  apt  to  intervene 
among  a  body  of  men  usually  advanced  in  years. 
At  the  time  of  the  Conclave,  the  Cardinals 
amounted  to  sixty-four  members,  of  whom  sixty- 
two  took  part  in  the  election  of  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff. 

The  following  nations  were  represented  in  the 
Sacred  College:  Italy,  France,  Spain,  Portugal, 
Belgium,  Germany,  Austria,  Hungary,  Bohemia, 
Poland,  Ireland,  Australia,  and  the  United  States, 
It  was  to  be  regretted,  however,  that  the  death  of 
Cardinals  Taschereau  and  Vaughan,  and  the  un- 

92 


POPE  PIUS  X  93 

avoidable  absence  of  Cardinal  Moran,  prevented 
England,  Canada  and  Australia  from  having  a 
voice  in  the  Conclave.  And  had  the  election  of  a 
Pope  been  held  some  years  ago,  the  illustrious 
Cardinals  Newman  and  Manning  would  have 
adorned  the  venerable  Senate  by  their  learning 
and  experience. 

The  Conclave  which  elevated  Pius  X  to  the 
Chair  of  Peter,  marks  a  new  and  important  era  in 
the  annals  of  the  American  Catholic  Church.  This 
was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  Christian 
religion  that  the  United  States,  or  any  part  of  this 
Western  Hemisphere,  was  ever  associated  with  the 
other  nations  of  Christendom  in  selecting  a  succes- 
sor to  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles. 

I  would  not  at  all  be  surprised  if  in  a  subsequent 
Conclave  the  Catholic  Church  of  the  United  States 
will  be  represented  by  several  members  of  the 
Sacred  College,*  so  that  the  number  of  Cardinals 
from  our  country  may  be  commensurate  with  the 
population,  the  grandeur  and  the  commanding  in- 
fluence of  the  nation,  and  may  be  in  keeping  also 
with  the  numerical  strength  of  our  hierarchy  and 
laity,  and  the  splendor  and  progress  of  our  relig- 
ious and  charitable  institutions. 

*  This  actually  came  to  pass  upon  the  election  of  our  present 
Holy  Father,  Benedict  XV,  Counting  Cardinal  Falconio,  who 
is  an  American  citizen,  four  American  Cardinals  went  to  the 
Conclave. 


94  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

At  tlie  time  of  the  Conclave,  and  for  weeks  pre- 
ceding it,  Eome  was  full  of  newspaper  reporters 
gathered  from  various  parts  of  the  civilized  world. 
They  were  there  to  furnish  the  earliest  news  to  the 
journals  which  they  represented.  The  great  ma- 
jority of  these  journalists  were  men  of  truth  and 
honor.  But  a  few  of  them  who  could  not  obtain 
trustworthy  facts,  or  because  they  regarded  facts 
as  less  savory  than  fiction,  yielded  to  the  tempta- 
tion of  making  statements  which  were  the  off- 
spring of  their  fancy.  The  more  spicy  the  dish 
which  they  served  to  their  patrons,  the  more 
eagerly  it  was  devoured. 

In  the  judgment  of  mankind,  the  Cardinals  of 
the  Church  are  acknowledged  to  be  generally  men 
of  a  high  order  of  intelligence,  of  great  discretion, 
of  large  experience,  and  of  integrity  of  character. 
In  these  respects  I  believe  they  are  not  surpassed, 
if  they  are  equalled,  by  any  deliberative  body  in 
the  whole  world. 

The  Cardinals,  however,  are  not  angels,  but  men, 
subject  to  the  usual  infirmities  and  temptations  of 
flesh  and  blood.  And  because  they  are  not  exempt 
from  the  frailties  incident  to  mankind,  and  because 
of  the  peerless  dignity  of  the  Supreme  Pontificate, 
as  well  as  of  the  tremendous  responsibility  it  in- 
volves, every  precaution  that  human  ingenuity 
and  experience  could  suggest,  had  been  availed  of 
in  this,  as  in  preceding  conclaves,  so  that  no  cloud 


POPE  PIUS  X  95 

should  rest  over  the  election  of  the  successful 
candidate. 

Such  were  the  circumstances  which  marked  the 
election  of  our  new  chief  Pastor  who  has  assumed 
the  title  of  Pius  X. 

I  was  present  at  the  Conclave  and  took  part  in 
its  proceedings,  and  without  revealing  its  secrets, 
I  can  most  positively  assure  you  and  the  American 
people  that  the  election  of  the  Pope  was  conducted 
with  absolute  freedom,  with  the  utmost  fairness 
and  impartiality,  and  with  a  dignity  and  solemnity 
becoming  the  august  assemblage  of  the  Sacred 
College,  and  the  momentous  consequences  of  their 
suffrages. 

I  have  witnessed  debates  in  the  British  Parlia- 
ment, in  the  French  Chambers,  and  in  both  houses 
of  Congress,  and  I  must  candidly  say  that  in 
sobriety  of  language,  and  in  courteous  deportment 
of  members  towards  one  another,  the  College  of 
Cardinals  surpassed  them  all.  And  this  is  the 
more  noteworthy  when  we  consider  that  some 
twelve  different  nationalities,  swayed  by  as  many 
national  characteristics,  were  represented  in  the 
Assembly.  On  leaving  the  Sistine  Chapel,  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  Conclave,  and  contemplating  the 
over-ruling  action  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  these 
heterogeneous  elements,  I  exclaimed,  **The  finger 
of  Grod  is  here!" 

Two  ballots  were  cast  each  day  in  the  Conclave, 


96  A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

one  in  tlie  forenoon  and  another  in  the  afternoon. 
The  votes  for  Cardinal  Sarto  steadily  increased 
from  the  first  to  the  seventh  ballot,  on  which  he 
was  elected.  When  the  Cardinal  observed  that  the 
suffrages  for  him  were  angmenting,  he  was  visibly- 
disturbed,  and  in  a  fervent  speech  he  implored  his 
colleagues  not  to  regard  him  as  a  candidate.  Con- 
trary to  his  wishes,  the  votes  for  him  increased. 
He  then  became  alarmed  and  in  a  second  speech  in 
most  pathetic  language,  he  again  besought  the 
Cardinals  to  forget  his  name — ''Ohtestor  vos," 
were  his  words,  ^^ut  nominis  mei  omnino  ohli- 
viscamini/'  as  he  could  not  accept  a  burden  too 
heavy  for  him  to  bear.  All  were  moved  by  the 
modesty  and  transparent  sincerity  of  the  man. 
When  he  resumed  his  seat,  his  cheeks  were  suf- 
fused with  blushes,  tears  were  gushing  from  his 
eyes,  and  his  body  trembled  with  emotion.  It  was 
only  after  some  of  the  leading  Cardinals  entreated 
him  to  withdraw  his  opposition,  that  he  finally 
and  reluctantly  consented  to  abide  by  the  will  of 
God  and  accept  the  sacrifice.  Never  did  a  prisoner 
make  greater  efforts  to  escape  from  his  confine- 
ment than  did  Cardinal  Sarto  to  escape  from  the 
yoke  of  the  Papacy.  With  his  divine  Master  he 
exclaimed:  ^'Father,  if  it  be  possible  let  this 
chalice  pass  from  me.  Nevertheless,  not  my  will, 
but  Thine  be  done.''  When  his  election  was  offi- 
cially announced,  his  florid  countenance  assumed  a 


POPE  PIUS  X  97 

deathly  pallor,  and  restoratives  were  applied  to 
save  him  from  fainting.  So  little  did  Cardinal 
Sarto  expect  to  be  the  choice  of  his  colleagues,  that 
on  setting  out  for  Eome  he  is  said  to  have  pur- 
chased a  return  ticket  to  his  home  in  Venice. 

Pius  X  is  in  his  sixty-ninth  year.  He  is  of  the 
same  age  that  Leo  XIII  had  attained,  when  he 
ascended  the  Papal  chair.  He  has  had  a  large  and 
varied  experience  in  the  sacred  ministry.  He  con- 
secutively filled  the  offices  of  assistant  priest,  of 
pastor,  of  chancellor,  and  vicar-general.  He  was 
elected  afterwards  to  the  See  of  Mantua,  the  home 
of  the  illustrious  Virgil.  He  was  subsequently 
promoted  to  the  patriarchal  See  of  Venice. 

The  virtues  of  humility,  sincerity,  candor  and 
benevolence,  were  stamped  on  his  features.  I  can 
characterize  him  in  one  sentence  by  saying  that 
^'he  is  a  man  of  God  and  a  man  of  the  people.'' 
His  name  was  idolized  in  Venice  and  along  the 
Adriatic  on  account  of  his  charities  towards  the 
poor. 

We  need  not  be  surprised  at  the  emotion  of  the 
Pope  when  his  election  was  announced,  for  he  was 
called  to  the  most  sublime  position  to  which  any 
man  on  earth  can  aspire. 

The  Papacy  is  the  most  ancient  of  all  existing 
dynasties.  It  had  flourished  for  centuries,  when 
the  oldest  empire  now  existing  was  established.  A 
Pontiff   sat  in  the  Chair  of  Peter,  when  England 


98  A  RETEOSPECT  OE  FIFTY  YEAES 

was  a  Eoman  colony,  and  her  inhabitants  were  a 
rude  and  uncultivated  people,  unacquainted  with 
the  arts  and  refinements  of  civilized  life.  Pius  X 
is  the  two  hundred  and  sixty-fourth  Pope  who, 
under  Christ,  has  been  called  to  rule  the  Church 
of  God. 

The  empire  of  the  Pontiffs  is  co-extensive  with 
the  globe,  embracing  children  of  every  clime  and 
race  and  tongue;  combining  in  one  homogeneous 
body  the  most  diverse  national  characteristics 
and  temperaments.  It  has  been  justly  said  that  the 
sun  never  sets  in  British  possessions.  It  can  be 
also  affirmed  with  equal  truth  that  wherever  the 
British  flag  is  raised,  there  also  you  will  find  Chris- 
tians who  bow  with  filial  submission  to  the  spirit- 
ual supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

The  influence  of  the  Papacy  is  more  far-reaching 
than  that  of  any  earthly  ruler.  Kings  and  emper- 
ors and  civil  magistrates  exact  external  compli- 
ance with  the  laws  of  the  land.  They  cannot  con- 
trol the  sanctuary  of  the  heart.  The  Sovereign 
Pontiff,  though  he  has  no  army  to  enforce  his 
commands,  makes  and  interprets  laws  which  bind 
the  consciences  of  men. 

The  rule  of  the  successors  of  Peter  has  been  the 
most  beneficent  in  the  cause  of  civilization  and 
humanity.  When  the  Roman  Empire  was  dis- 
solved, the  ark  of  the  Church,  under  the  guidance 
of  the  Sovereign  Pontiffs,  floated  triumphantly  on 


POPE  PIUS  X  99 

the  troubled  waters  beneath  which  the  monuments 
of  centuries  had  lain  entombed. 

The  Papacy  has  contributed  more  than  any  civil- 
government  to  the  intellectual  progress  of  man- 
kind. If  Europe  is  today  immeasurably  in  advance 
of  Asia,  in  literature,  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  is  it 
not  because  Europe  was  more  in  touch  than  Asia 
with  the  Eoman  Pontiff,  and  felt  the  impress  of 
of  his  strong  but  tender  hand? 

Were  it  not  for  the  unceasing  vigilance  of  the 
Bishops  of  Rome,  the  crescent  instead  of  the  cross 
would  have  surmounted  the  domes  and  temples  of 
Europe;  Mohammedanism  instead  of  Christianity 
would  be  the  dominant  religion  of  that  continent, 
and  our  fathers  who  came  from  Europe  would 
have  brought  with  them  their  religion  and  their 
laws  from  the  Koran  instead  of  the  Bible. 

Among  the  Pontiffs  who  have  sat  in  the  Chair 
of  Peter  for  the  last  three  centuries,  Leo  XIII, 
whom  Pius  X  succeeded,  stands  pre-eminent.  He 
has  indelibly  stamped  the  impress  of  his  name  and 
genius  on  the  civilized  world.  He  has  written 
Encyclicals  to  the  nations  of  Christendom,  treating 
on  the  most  momentous  subjects  of  the  day.  He 
has  dealt  not  with  abstract  or  speculative  ques- 
tions, but  with  topics  affecting  the  social  and  polit- 
ical as  well  as  the  moral  and  religious  well-being  of 
the  world.  He  has  conclusively  shown  that  he  was 
always  in  touch  with  humanity  and  could  say  with 


100        A  RETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

the  Roman  of  old:  '^Nil  Jiumani  a  me  alienum 
pnto'' — "Every  subject  affecting  tlie  interests  of 
mankind  is  dear  to  me." 

Need  we  therefore  wonder  that  Leo's  name  was 
revered  and  loved  not  only  by  his  own  spiritual 
children,  but  also  by  persons  of  every  creed,  and 
by  every  man  who  had  at  heart  the  uplifting  of 
his  fellow-being. 

While  living,  he  was  everywhere  honored  be- 
cause his  words  were  a  tower  of  strength  in  the 
cause  of  Christianity  and  stable  government. 
Kings,  emperors,  and  princes  of  every  belief  vied 
with  one  another  in  paying  homage  to  him  and  in 
visiting  him.  But  what  he  more  esteemed,  he  was 
loved  and  cherished  by  the  sovereign  people. 

We  all  know  what  intense  interest  was  aroused 
throughout  the  globe  in  his  last  illness.  Every 
varying  phase  of  his  sickness  was  flashed  far  and 
wide.  An  anxious  world  was  oscillating  between 
hope  and  fear,  while  the  august  patient  was  hover- 
ing between  life  and  death;  and  when  the  catas- 
trophe came,  the  mourning  was  universal. 

Leo  has  lifted  up  the  Catholic  Church  to  a  higher 
plane  of  dignity  and  strength  than  it  had  attained 
since  the  days  of  Leo  X.  He  has  infused  new  life 
into  the  missionary  world.  He  has  quickened  with 
renewed  zeal  every  bishop,  priest  and  layman  that 
fell  within  the  scope  of  his  influence.    He  has  left 


POPE  PIUS  X  101 

to  his  successor  the  precious  heritage  of  a  blame- 
less life  and  an  Apostolic  character. 

What  a  subject  of  profound  reflection  is  pre- 
sented by  the  contrast  between  the  funeral  rites 
of  the  late  Pontiff,  and  the  coronation  of  his  suc- 
cessor! All  that  was  left  on  earth  of  the  great 
Leo  at  his  obsequies  were  his  emaciated  and 
shrivelled  remains.  That  voice  which  had  thrilled 
millions  throughout  the  world  was  hushed  forever. 
Those  hands  which  were  daily  raised  to  bless,  lay 
motionless  on  his  breast.  The  same  liturgical 
prayers  were  chanted,  and  the  same  sacrifice  of 
propitiation  was  offered  for  him  that  are  employed 
in  behalf  of  the  humblest  layman.  Supplications 
were  poured  forth  to  the  Throne  of  Grace,  not  for 
Leo  the  saint,  nor  Leo  the  scholar  and  statesman, 
but  for  Leo  the  humble  penitent,  who,  like  all  the 
children  of  Adam,  could  be  saved  only  through 
the  redeeming  merits  of  Jesus  Christ. 

On  the  Sunday  after  Leo's  obsequies,  the  newly- 
elected  Pontiff  was  borne  in  triumph  into  St. 
Peter's  Basilica  by  liveried  servants,  amid  en- 
chanting music  and  the  waving  of  ostrich  plumes, 
preceded  by  the  College  of  Cardinals,  and  sur- 
rounded by  an  immense  multitude  of  bishops, 
clergy  and  people  who  filled  the  capacious  edifice 
and  whose  number  was  estimated  at  fifty  thou- 
sand. 

But  another  scene  is  presented  which  is  calcu- 


102        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

lated  to  sober  the  Pontiff  amid  the  intoxicating 
atmosphere  which  envelops  him.  A  master  of 
ceremonies  goes  before  the  Pope  with  a  wand  to 
which  is  attached  a  vase  containing  burning  tow, 
crying  out  from  time  to  time :  ^^Sic  transit  gloria 
mundi/'  (''Thus  passeth  away  the  glory  of  the 
world.") 

I  am  sure,  however,  that  the  humble  Pontiff 
did  not  need  this  reminder,  nor  was  he  elated  or 
dazzled  by  the  splendor  of  the  pageant;  but  like 
his  Master  who  wept  on  entering  in  triumph  the 
city  of  Jerusalem,  Pius  was  overwhelmed  by  the 
contemplation  of  the  heavy  cross  he  was  destined 
to  bear  through  life.  His  was  the  only  heart  un- 
moved among  the  fifty  thousand  spectators  assem- 
bled to  honor  him. 

What  a  comentary  is  all  this  on  the  vanity  of 
human  glory!  How  eloquently  it  proclaims  the 
truth  that  God  alone  is  great,  and  that  no  honor 
can  satisfy  man's  ambition  but  that  which  is 
eternal  I 


GOLDEN  JUBILEE 

OF 

ARCHBISHOP  ELDER 


SERMON  AT  THE  GOLDEN  JUBILEE  OF 
ARCHBISHOP  ELDER.  JUNE  10.  1896. 

"As  Jesus  went,  they  spread  their  garments  in  the  way,  and 
the  whole  multitude  of  His  disciples  began  with  joy  to  praise 
Gcd  with  a  loud  voice,  for  the  mighty  works  which  they  had 
seen,  saying:  Blessed  be  the  King  who  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord.  And  some  of  the  Pharisees  said  to  Him:  Master, 
rebuke  Thy  disciples.  And  He  said  to  them:  I  say  to  you  that 
If  they  should  be  silent,  the  stones  will  cry  out."  Luke  xix, 
36-40. 


J 


ESUS  CHRIST  our  Saviour  fled  from  honors 
during  His  mortal  life,  embracing  the  humili- 
ations of  the  Cross.  Nevertheless  on  the 
occasion  referred  to  in  the  text,  He  does  not  dis- 
dain to  accept  the  homages  that  were  bestowed  on 
Him.  As  He  approaches  the  city  of  Jerusalem, 
the  people  spread  their  garments  on  the  way,  and 
the  multitude  of  His  disciples  praise  Him  with  a 
loud  voice,  for  the  mighty  works  they  had  seen  Him 
perform,  and  they  exclaim:  ^* Blessed  is  the  King 
who  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.''  The 
Pharisees,  who  were  always  envious  of  our 
Saviour's  glory,  asked  Him  to  rebuke  His  dis- 
ciples, and  to  stop  the  acclamations.  But  our  Lord 
gives  this  answer ;  Let  them  alone.    *  *  I  say  to  you 

103 


104         A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

that  if  they  should  be  silent,  the  stones  will  cry 
out.''  He  wishes  them  to  understand  that  in 
accepting  their  tributes  of  praise,  He  was  receiv- 
ing only  what  was  due  to  Him,  as  their  Lord  and 
King. 

On  this  morning,  a  large  number  of  the  distin- 
guished Prelates  of  the  United  States,  the  clergy  of 
this  diocese,  and  of  other  parts  of  the  country,  and 
this  immense  multitude  of  the  laity  are  assembled 
to  congratulate  your  venerable  Archbishop  on  this 
occasion  of  the  golden  jubilee  of  his  priesthood. 

I  am  sure  that  if  the  decision  had  rested  with  the 
Archbishop  himself,  he  would  have  preferred  that 
the  event  had  been  passed  over  in  silence.  But  in 
honoring  him  today,  we  are  not  only  gratifying 
the  cherished  wishes  of  our  hearts,  but  we  are 
complying  with  a  sacred  and  religious  duty.  And 
if  any  one  were  to  ask  me:  '^Why  this  ovation T' 
I  would  answer  in  the  words  of  our  Lord:  *^If  we 
were  silent,  the  very  stones  of  this  Cathedral  would 
cry  out  against  us,  and  rebuke  us." 

St.  Paul  declares  that  ^4he  priests  who  have 
ruled  well,  are  worthy  of  double  honor,  especially 
those  who  have  labored  in  word  and  doctrine." 
And  the  Scripture  says  elsewhere  that  *'he  is 
worthy  of  honor  whom  the  king  hath  a  mind  to 
honor."  Observe  how  the  King  of  kings  has  hon- 
ored His  Apostles  who  were  the  first  priests  of 
the  New  Law.    He  honors  them  in  the  three  most 


ArvCIIBISIIOP  ELDER  105 

conspicuous  ways  that  a  master  can  glorify  his 
servants,  He  cherishes  them  by  His  special  friend- 
ship. "I  will  no  longer,"  He  says,  ''call  you  ser- 
vants ;  for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  mas- 
ter doeth;  but  I  have  called  you  friends,  for  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  heard  of  My  Father,  I 
have  made  known  to  you." 

He  associates  them  with  Himself  in  the  final 
judgment  of  men:  "Ye  shall  sit  on  twelve  thrones, 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel."  And  He 
makes  them  his  co-heirs  in  His  eternal  Kingdom : 
**I  go,"  He  says,  ''to  prepare  a  place  for  you, 
that  where  I  am,  ye  also  may  be." 

Christ  confers  on  His  priests  two  prerogatives 
which  transcend  any  earthly  power.  The  priest  is 
the  Ambassador  of  Christ:  "For  Christ,"  says  the 
Apostle,  "'we  are  ambassadors,  God  as  it  were 
exhorting  you  by  us."  If  it  is  a  great  privilege 
for  any  citizen  of  the  United  States  to  represent 
his  country  in  one  of  the  courts  of  Europe,  how 
much  greater  is  the  prerogative  of  representing 
the  Court  of  Heaven  before  the  nations  of  the 
world!  "Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me  in  Judea, 
and  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  bounds  of  the 
earth." 

What  an  honor  to  be  the  herald  of  God's  laws 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth !  ' '  How  beautiful 
on  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  Him  that  bringeth 
glad  tidings,  and  preacheth  peace,  that  showeth 


106         A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

forth  good  and  preachetli  salvation,  and  saith  to 
Sion:  Thy  God  shall  reign.''  How  cherished  a 
favor  to  be  the  bearer  of  the  olive-branch  of  peace 
to  a  world  deluged  by  sin,  and  to  proclaim  that 
Gospel  which  gives  glory  to  God,  and  peace  to  man, 
which  converts  the  sinner,  consoles  the  afflicted, 
and  holds  out  to  all  the  blessed  promises  of  eternal 
life !  But  the  Christian  priest  has  a  still  greater 
privilege  and  a  still  higher  honor. 

*'No  act  that  man  can  perform,"  says  St. 
Thomas,  '4s  greater  than  the  consecration  of  the 
Body  of  Christ."  And  even  Carlyle  declares  that 
no  function  in  life  is  so  sublime  as  that  of  a  priest. 
He  says:  '^ Though  you  are  the  meanest  in  God's 
hierarchy,  is  it  not  honor  enough  to  spend,  and  to 
be  spent  for  His  sake  f ' 

The  priest  whom  we  honor  today,  **has  spent, 
and  been  spent"  for  the  welfare  of  his  fellow- 
beings.  For  fifty  years  he  has  preached  the  Gos- 
pel, and  has  offered  up  with  a  clean  heart  the  im- 
maculate Lamb  upon  the  altar.  And  now  Bishops 
and  Priests  come  to  place  with  loving  hands  a 
wreath  on  his  brow ;  and  the  faithful  delight  to  lay 
garlands  at  his  feet,  as  a  tribute  of  their  admir- 
ation and  filial  affection. 

The  Elder  family  is  an  old  and  honored  name 
in  Maryland.  They  came  from  Lancashire,  Eng- 
land, to  Maryland  with  the  early  followers  of  Lord 
Baltimore.    The  immediate  ancestors  of  the  Arch- 


ARCHBISHOP  ELDER  107 

bishop  settled  in  Western  Maryland,  about  the  year 
1730 ;  and  if  the  tradition  is  correct,  the  first  Mass 
that  was  ever  celebrated  in  Frederick  County,  was 
said  in  the  home  of  William  Elder,  the  great-grand- 
father of  the  Archbishop.  I  had  the  privilege  of 
meeting  the  Archbishop's  father  when  he  was 
approaching  the  patriarchal  age  of  ninety  years. 
He  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  the  sword  which 
he  wore  is  preserved  as  an  heirloom  in  the  family. 

If  any  man  has  the  right  to  claim  the  privileges 
of  an  American  citizen,  that  man  is  William  Henry 
Elder.  When  Paul  was  threatened  with  being 
scourged  for  preaching  the  Gospel,  he  protested 
against  the  outrage,  because  he  was  a  Eoman  citi- 
zen. Then  the  Eoman  officer  said  to  him  apologet- 
ically: ^^I  also  am  a  Eoman  citizen,  I  bought  this 
title  with  a  great  price.''  *^And  I,"  replied  Paul, 
**am  a  citizen,  not  by  purchase,  but  by  birthright." 

You  will  find  in  our  day,  some  men  crossing  the 
Canadian  line,  or  coming  from  Europe,  who  are 
scarcely  naturalized  when  they  manifest  the  ani- 
mus of  inflicting,  if  they  could,  civil  and  religious 
disabilities  on  men  like  the  Archbishop  who  are  to 
the  manner  born,  and  whose  fathers  were  citizens 
before  them.  But  against  all  such  aggressors  we 
will  protest,  and  say  what  Naboth  said  to  the  king 
of  Syria:  *'God  forbid  that  I  could  surrender  the 
heritage  of  my  fathers." 

Like  many  other  Christian  Prelates,  Archbishop 


108        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

Elder  is  under  God,  indebted  for  Ms  apostolic 
spirit,  to  the  piety  and  edifying  life  of  his  saintly 
mother.  Father  David,  afterward  Bishop  of 
Bardstown,  was  her  spiritual  director.  After  he 
moved  to  Kentucky,  he  continued  to  correspond 
with  her ;  and  the  letters  that  passed  between  them, 
reveal  an  elevation  of  Christian  sentiment  which 
makes  them  worthy  of  being  compared  with  the  let- 
ters of  St.  Francis  de  Sales  to  St.  Jane  de  Chantal. 

William  Henry  Elder  was  only  eleven  years  old 
when  he  entered  Mount  St.  Mary's  College,  Em- 
mitsburg,  which  has  been  justly  styled  the  fruitful 
nursery  of  Bishops.  He  there  pursued  his  clas- 
sical course,  and  afterward  studied  philosophy 
and  theology  in  the  same  institution.  After  receiv- 
ing Deaconship,  he  proceeded  to  the  famous  Col- 
lege of  the  Propaganda  in  Eome,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  Divinity  course,  and  was  ordained  priest 
in  1846.  Returning  to  his  native  State,  he  became 
Professor  of  Theology  in  his  Alma  Mater  at  Em- 
mitsburg,  and  continued  to  fill  that  chair  till  he  was 
consecrated  Bishop  of  Natchez  in  1857,  by  Arch- 
bishop Kenrick,  of  Baltimore. 

One  of  the  first  institutions  that  the  Bishop  vis- 
ited after  his  Consecration,  was  the  college  in 
which  I  was  then  pursuing  my  studies.  Before 
imparting  his  benediction  to  us,  he  delivered  us  an 
earnest  address,  the  substance  of  which  I  remem- 
ber to  this  day,  after  a  lapse  of  nearly  forty  years. 


ARCHBISHOP  ELDER  109 

His  thrilling  words  were  well  calculated  to  fire  our 
youthful  hearts  with  a  holy  enthusiasm  for  the  sub- 
lime vocation  to  which  we  aspired. 

In  order  fully  to  realize  the  difficulties  which  the 
Bishop  had  to  encounter  in  his  new  See,  we  should 
take  into  consideration  the  extent  of  the  diocese, 
the  inconvenience  of  travel,  the  poverty  of  the  mis- 
sions, and  the  paucity  of  the  Catholic  population. 
The  diocese  of  Natchez  embraced  the  entire  State 
of  Mississippi,  which  is  eight  thousand  square 
miles  larger  in  extent  than  the  State  of  Ohio  with 
its  three  flourishing  Sees. 

I  venture  to  say  that  when  the  Bishop  took  pos- 
session of  his  diocese,  there  was  scarcely  a  mile  of 
railroad  in  the  whole  State.  He  had  to  travel  by 
boat,  or  to  journey  through  the  interior  of  the  State 
by  public  or  private  conveyances,  or  on  foot. 

The  physical  labors  of  a  Bishop  are  much  allevi- 
ated when  his  relations  are  almost  exclusively  with 
a  Catholic  population  which  knows  and  appreciates 
Ms  sacred  character.  Then  he  can  say  with  the 
Apostle,  ''my  mouth  is  open  to  you,  0  ye  Corinth- 
ians, my  heart  is  enlarged.''  But  his  trials  are 
aggravated,  when  he  is  daily  brought  face  to  face 
to  a  people  who  without  any  fault  of  theirs,  have 
inherited  religious  prejudices  from  their  ancestors. 
But  the  Bishop  by  his  genial  manners,  and  Chris- 
tian charity,  soon  dispelled  those  prejudices,  as  the 
mist  is  dispelled  by  the  sun.     He  was  warmly 


110        A  EETHOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

received  by  Protestant  and  Catholic  alike.  The 
faithful  welcomed  him  as  a  father ;  and  those  not 
of  the  household  of  the  faith,  received  him  as  a  man 
of  God.  They  all  felt  that  in  entertaining  him,  they 
were  made  all  the  happier  and  richer  by  their  hos- 
pitality. They  felt  that  he  had  left  a  blessing  on 
their  homes,  as  our  Saviour  by  His  presence  had 
blessed  the  house  of  Zackeus,  and  Elias  had  blessed 
the  house  of  the  widow  of  Sarephta. 

His  clergy  regarded  him  more  as  an  older 
brother  than  as  their  ecclesiastical  superior.  He 
was  always  ready  to  share  their  sacrifices. 

Many  of  us  may  remember  how  some  of  the 
Southern  States  were  periodically  visited  in  former 
years,  with  the  scourge  of  yellow  fever.  That  state 
of  things  has  happily  passed  away.  I  myself  once 
accompanied  eight  young  and  healthy  Sisters  of 
Charity  on  a  steamer  from  Baltimore  to  New  Or- 
leans. They  were  destined  chiefly  for  the  Crescent 
City  and  Vicksburg,  and  went  to  reinforce  the 
ranks  of  their  companions  who  had  fallen  at  the 
post  of  duty.  They  left  Baltimore  unheralded  by 
the  press.  They  did  not  sound  the  trumpet  before 
them.  They  rushed  like  the  famous  six  hundred 
into  the  jaws  of  death,  not  bent  like  them  on  deeds 
of  blood,  but  on  deeds  of  mercy.  They  had  no 
Tennyson  to  sound  their  praises;  they  sought  no 
human  applause.  Their  only  ambition  was, — and 
oh!  how  lofty  is  that  ambition — that  their  good 


ARCHBISHOP  ELDER  111 

deeds  might  be  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Life,  and 
that  they  might  be  seen  by  Him  who  said:  "I  was 
sick,  and  you  visited  Me."  Of  these  eight  Sisters, 
six  died  during  the  following  summer  in  New 
Orleans  and  Vicksburg,  victims  to  the  yellow  fever. 

Like  a  true  soldier  of  the  Cross,  the  Bishop 
hastened  to  Vicksburg,  where  the  fever  raged.  He 
was  incessantly  occupied  in  administering  the 
Sacraments,  and  words  of  consolation  to  the  sick 
and  dying,  till  he  himself  was  stricken  down  by  the 
fever,  and  for  some  days  he  hung  between  life  and 
death. 

During  his  illness,  while  I  was  attending  the 
annual  retreat  with  the  Baltimore  clergy,  I  re- 
ceived a  message  announcing  the  death  of  Bishop 
Elder.  That  night  his  demise  was  formally  com- 
municated to  the  community,  and  prayers  were 
offered  for  him,  and  the  next  morning  I  said  Mass 
for  his  soul  in  the  presence  of  the  clergy.  During 
the  morning,  I  remarked  to  a  friend  that  had  called 
on  me:  ^'This  is  sad  news  about  Bishop  Elder.'' 
'^Yes,  indeed,''  he  replied,  ^'the  morning  papers 
state  that  he  is  critically  ill. "  ''  Critically  ill  ? "  I 
repeated,  ^' thank  God  for  that."  It  was  the  first 
time  in  my  life  that  I  thanked  the  Lord  for  the 
alarming  illness  of  a  friend.  Because  while  there 
was  life,  there  was  hope. 

The  next  year  the  Bishop  preached  our  retreat, 
and  gave  us  ample  evidence  that  his  mental  and 


112        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

physical  powers  were  not  impaired  by  the  ordeal 
through  which  he  had  passed.  During  that  retreat 
I  received  a  letter  from  the  lamented  Bishop  Gil- 
mour,  informing  me  that  the  Bishops  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  Cincinnati  had  unanimously  recommended 
Bishop  Elder  as  their  first  choice  for  Coadjutor 
to  the  Archbishop  of  Cincinnati,  although  he  had 
been  previously  selected  for  San  Francisco.  I 
cheerfully  complied  with  the  request  of  Bishop 
Gilmour  to  urge  the  appointment  at  Eome. 

You  may  well  conceive  that  this  was  a  critical 
moment  in  the  life  of  Bishop  Elder.  San  Fran- 
cisco was  expecting  him ;  Cincinnati  was  pleading 
for  him,  and  Natchez,  with  outstretched  arms  was 
striving  to  retain  him.  How  did  the  Bishop  act  in 
this  emergency?  He  acted  as  a  self-sacrificing 
and  obedient  soldier  of  the  Cross.  He  represented 
to  the  Holy  See  the  lamentable  condition  of  the 
Natchez  diocese,  which  had  lost  nearly  one-fourth 
of  its  clergy  by  yellow  fever,  and  which  was  still 
staggering  under  the  heavy  loss,  and  he  asked 
permission  to  remain  in  his  afflicted  See.  Eome, 
however,  sent  him  to  Cincinnati,  and  the  loss  of 
Natchez  is  your  gain. 

It  is  not  necessary  or  becoming  in  this  presence, 
to  dwell  on  the  Apostolic  labors  of  your  Archbishop 
since  his  advent  to  this  See.  Although  on  his 
arrival  among  you,  he  found  before  him  a  well- 
equipped  diocese,  thanks  to  the  zeal  of  his  prede- 


AECHBISHOP  ELDER  113 

cessor  and  his  colleagues  in  the  ministry,  never- 
theless on  comparing  the  Catholic  Directory  of 
1880  with  that  of  1896,  we  are  surprised  to  find 
the  number  of  churches,  schools,  hospitals  and 
asylums  that  have  been  added  to  the  list  during 
his  administration.  For  this  success,  the  Arch- 
bishop, under  God,  is  indebted  to  your  zealous 
co-operation.  You  have  always  rallied  around 
your  Archbishop ;  you  have  put  your  shoulders  to 
the  wheel ;  you  have  taken  an  active,  a  loyal,  per- 
sonal, vital  interest  in  every  measure  he  inaug- 
urated in  the  cause  of  religion  and  humanity ;  and 
this  is  the  secret  of  your  spiritual  progress. 

It  is  written  of  our  Lord,  that  He  went  about 
doing  good.  He  multiplied  loaves  in  the  desert; 
He  gave  sight  to  the  blind,  and  hearing  to  the  deaf ; 
He  cleansed  the  leper,  and  raised  the  dead  to  life. 
Your  Archbishop  lays  no  claim  to  such  miracles  as 
these.  But  is  it  not  a  miracle  of  grace  that  for 
fifty  years  he  has  led  a  life  without  reproach,  and 
has  preserved  his  priestly  robes  without  stain? 
He  had  not  multiplied  loaves  like  our  Saviour, 
but  has  he  not  multiplied  institutions  where  the 
young  and  the  old  have  been  abundantly  fed?  He 
had  not  healed  the  sick,  but  has  he  not  founded 
hospitals  where  every  phase  and  variety  of  human 
suffering  has  found  some  remedy  or  alleviation? 
He  has  not  raised  the  dead,  but  how  many  who 
had  lain  buried  in  the  grave  of  sin,  has  he  not 


114        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

raised  to  the  life  of  grace?  Oh!  my  brethren, 
never  do  we  prove  ourselves  more  worthy  to  be 
called  the  Ambassadors  of  Christ  than  when  we 
cause  the  flowers  of  joy  and  consolation  to  bloom 
in  hearts  that  were  barren  and  desolate  before. 
Your  Archbishop  has  fulfilled  in  his  life  the  defini- 
tion of  religion  given  by  the  Apostle:  '^ Religion 
pure  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father  is 
this :  to  visit  the  widow  and  the  orphan  in  their 
tribulations,  and  to  keep  oneself  unspotted  from 

this  world." 

And  now,  Most  Rev.  Father  in  Christ,  permit 
me  to  congratulate  you  on  this  auspicious  occa- 
sion; first,  in  the  name  of  the  assembled  prelates 
who  are  eager  to  pay  you  honor,  and  to  testify 
their  affection  for  you  as  their  older  brother. 

I  congratulate  you  in  the  name  of  the  clergy  of 
this  diocese  who  revere  you  as  their  spiritual 
father,  and  who  have  entered  with  so  much  enthusi- 
asm and  unanimity  into  its  celebration.  I  con- 
gratulate you  in  the  name  of  the  laity  who  are 
justly  proud  of  you  as  their  chief  pastor.  May  I 
not  also  venture  to  congratulate  you  in  the  name 
of  your  fellow-citizens  without  distinction  of  race 
or  religion?  For  they  honor  you  as  a  citizen  up- 
holding by  your  authority  and  example  the  civil 
laws  and  institutions  of  your  country. 

And  lastly,  I  congratulate  you  in  my  own  name. 
There  are  many  common  ties  that  bind  us  together. 


ARCHBISHOP  ELDER  115 

We  were  both  born  in  the  same  city  of  Baltimore ; 
we  were  baptized  within  the  limits  of  the  same 
Cathedral  parish;  we  were  educated  in  the  same 
old  State  of  Maryland,  the  land  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  the  cradle  of  civil  and  religious  liberty;  the 
same  Pontiff  that  elevated  Your  Grace  to  the 
Episcopal  dignity,  imposed  the  hands  of  the  priest- 
hood on  me ;  and  we  exercised  the  sacred  ministry 
in  the  same  diocese. 

May  it  be  my  privilege  to  walk  in  your  footsteps, 
though  at  a  distance,  and  to  imitate  your  beauti- 
ful and  bright  example.  May  you  live  to  celebrate 
the  golden  jubilee  of  your  Episcopate,  and  when 
your  course  is  run,  may  you  receive  the  crown  of 
justice  from  the  Divine  Shepherd  of  our  souls. 


ARCHBISHOP  WILLIAMS* 
GOLDEN  JUBILEE 


ADDRESS  AT  ARCHBISHOP  WILLIAMS* 
GOLDEN  JUBILEE.  1895. 

THE  Sacerdotal  Jubilee  of  any  priest  is  an 
event  well  worthy  of  commemoration.  But 
when  that  priest  has  become  a  Bishop  of 
the  American  Church  his  Sacerdotal  Jubilee  is 
nothing  less  than  the  commemoration  of  a  mile- 
stone in  the  history  of  the  Church  and  country, 
and  as  one  instinctively  stops  at  a  milestone  and 
looks  to  see  as  far  back  as  possible,  the  country 
one  has  traversed,  so  on  this  occasion  my  vener- 
able colleagues  will  forgive  me  if  I  seem  to  speak 
more  of  the  history  of  the  past  fifty  years  than  of 
the  present  happy  occasion. 

I  can  declare  in  all  sincerity  that  seldom,  if  ever, 
have  I  participated  in  any  festivity  with  more 
heartfelt  satisfaction  than  on  the  present  occasion. 
I  first  learned  with  regret  that  this  golden  jubilee 
would  be  of  a  private  and  local  nature;  that  it 
would  be  diocesan,  or,  at  most,  Provincial  in  its 
character.  I  then  engaged  my  passage  to  Europe 
for  the  fourth  day  of  May.  But  on  the  very  day 
that  I  was  informed  that  the  Archbishop  of  Boston 

116 


ARCHBISHOP  WILLIAMS  117 

had  yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  his  clergy  to 
have  the  Metropolitan  Sees  of  the  country  repre- 
sented, I  cancelled  my  passage  and  took  the  risk 
of  engaging  a  berth  at  a  later  date.  I  assure  you, 
I  would  have  been  filled  with  envy  and  jealousy, 
had  I  discovered  when  abroad  that  my  Metro- 
politan brethren  were  here,  while  I  was  absent: 
I  would  have  journeyed  through  Europe  in  the 
lonesome  and  melancholy  spirit  of  Goldsmith  ^s 
Traveler : 

"Still  to  my  brother  I  would  turn  with  ceaseless  pain, 
And  drag  at  each  remove,  a  lengthening  chain." 

It  is  a  great  and  a  rare  privilege  vouchsafed  to 
a  minister  of  God  to  have  passed  the  fiftieth  mile- 
stone of  his  priesthood.  It  is  a  still  greater  privi- 
lege, for  which  he  should  be  devoutly  thankful,  to 
have  spent  these  long  years  in  innocence  and 
blamelessness  of  life,  with  a  record  untarnished, 
and  without  a  single  stain  to  sully  his  sacerdotal 
garments.  But  the  blessing  and  happiness  are  still 
augmented,  when  the  pilgrim  of  irreproachable 
life  stands  upon  the  summit  of  fifty  summers, 
and  from  that  eminence  looks  back  and  contem- 
plates the  great  works  accomplished  in  his  day, 
** quorum  magna  pars  fuit/^ 

The  year  before  your  venerable  Archbishop 
was  ordained,  there  was  but  one  diocese  in  all  New 
England,  for  the  first  Bishop  of  Hartford  was  not 


118        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

consecrated  till  1844.  There  were  then  only  53 
priests  in  New  England  with  a  Catholic  popula- 
tion of  75,000  souls.  The  Archbishop,  though  not 
yet  a  very  old  man,  remembers  the  time  when 
New  England  contained  only  four  priests.  And  in 
1816,  when  a  coadjutor  to  Archbishop  Neale  was 
proposed  for  the  See  of  Baltimore,  Eev.  Dr.  Mar- 
echal  wrote  to  Bishop  Flaget  recommending 
Bishop  Cheverus  of  Boston  for  that  place,  and  the 
reason  he  assigned  was  that  the  illustrious  Dr. 
Cheverus  had  nothing  to  do  in  Boston. 

Today  the  Archdiocese  of  Boston  is  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  Metropolitan  Sees  in  the  country, 
with  six  suffragan  sees,  like  six  brilliant  satellites 
revolving  around  it.  New  England  has  today 
1200  Catholic  clergymen,  with  a  Catholic  popula- 
tion of  nearly  a  million  and  a  half.*  And  nowhere 
can  a  Catholic  community  be  found  more  devoted 


*  Present  statistics  (1916): 
Town.  Priests. 

Boston 728 

Burlington 101 

Fall  River 162 

Hartford 385 

Manchester 143 

Providence 225 

Portland  143 

Springfield 379 


Churches. 

Population. 

282 

900,000 

102 

84,949 

91 

173,366 

232 

469,701 

108 

134,600 

108 

275,000 

143 

131,638 

206 

327,468 

2,266  1,272  2,596,122 


AECHBISHOP  WILLIAMS  119 

to  the  faith  of  their  fathers,  or  more  loyal  to  their 
grand  old  Commonwealth,  more  attached  to  the 
flag  of  their  country,  and  to  her  civil  and  political 
institutions. 

Who  would  have  thought  this  of  New  England 
— New  England  which  was  founded  and  built  up 
to  be  the  stronghold  of  Puritanism  against  what 
in  those  days  they  called  "Popery  and  Prelacy.'' 
Every  advantage  which  the  State  could  give  to 
one  particular  kind  of  Protestantism  was  given  to 
the  complete  exclusion  of  Catholicism  and  all  forms 
of  Protestantism  except  one.  But  what  was  once 
the  State  church  has  become  a  small  and  ever-de- 
creasing minority  of  the  population,  and  what  was 
once  forbidden  under  the  heaviest  penalties  is  now 
the  religion  of  an  energetic  and  ever-growing  and 
progressing  part  of  the  population,  and  yet  these 
who  have  come  into  the  heritage  which  was  so  long 
refused  them,  yield  to  none  in  their  devotion  to 
.  God  and  native  land.  And  if  we  consider  the  lives 
and  works  of  some  o'f  the  early  fathers  of  the  Pur- 
itan New  Englanders  and  compare  their  stern  ad- 
herence to  the  sacred  Scriptures,  to  the  true  God- 
head of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  the  saving  power 
of  His  precious  Blood,  and  then  when  we  see  into 
what  religious  aberrations  their  descendants  have 
wandered,  denying  the  Incarnation,  the  Atonement 
and  the  inspiration  of  Holy  Scripture,  I  think  we 
should  not  be  wrong  in  saying  that  could  the  foun- 


120         A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

ders  of  New  England  have  looked  down  over  the 
ages  they  would  be  glad  to  think  that  the  lamp  of 
Christianity  was  not  to  be  put  out  but  that  there 
should  be  still  a  part  of  the  population  who  should 
revere  the  sacred  and  cannonical  scriptures  as  the 
very  Word  of  God,  who  should  hope  for  salvation 
only  through  the  merits  and  blood  of  our  Ee- 
deemer  and  would  worship  that  Eedeemer  as  God 
over  all,  blessed  forever.  If  we  think  of  the  past 
of  New  England,  and  of  the  present,  we  are  far 
nearer  in  feeling  to  the  founders  of  these  com- 
monwealths than  many  of  their  own  descendants. 
Therefore  we  know  that  nobody  can  contest  our 
right  here,  and  nobody  who  wishes  a  Christian 
New  England  can  be  sorry  for  our  success.  And 
we  have  a  strict  duty  laid  upon  us  also  to  pray 
and  to  work  that  the  descendants  of  the  Pur- 
itans may  not  only  return  to  the  faith  of  their 
fathers,  but  to  the  faith  of  their  fathers'  fathers, 
which  is  now  no  I'onger  a  frightful  name  spoken  in 
their  midst  with  bated  breath,  but  which  is  seen 
among  them  in  all  its  beauty  and  all  its  power  as 
it  was  in  the  days  before  religious  unity  was 
broken. 

But  I  feel  it  a  solemn  duty  of  gratitude  to  pay 
my  tribute  of  praise  to  the  primitive  settlers  of 
New  England.  Wlien  I  consider  their  sturdy 
character,  their  manhood  as  strong  and  rugged  as 
their  own  native  hills ;  when  I  consider  their  thrift 


AECHBISHOP  WILLIAMS  121 

and  industry  and  enterprise  and  indomitable  en- 
ergy. When  I  reflect  on  what  their  descendants 
have  done  for  the  material  development  not  only 
of  their  own  soil,  but  also  of  other  portions  of  the 
United  States,  for  wherever  they  planted  them- 
selves, the  influence  of  their  enterprise  and  prog- 
ress was  felt ;  when  I  contemplate  what  they  have 
accomplished  by  their  wisdom  and  statesmanship 
in  the  cause  of  constitutional  freedom,  and  the 
blood  they  have  shed  in  the  establishment  of  our 
sovereign  Eepublic,  without  whose  heroic  efforts, 
perhaps,  you  would  not  today  be  reclining  in  peace 
^ ' un der  your  own  vine  and  fig  tree ; ' '  when  I  reflect 
on  all  this  my  heart  goes  out  to  them,  and  I  be- 
lieve you  will  all  agree  with  me  that  the  nation  at 
large  owes  to  that  noble  race  a  debt  of  gratitude 
which  your  own  warm  and  generous  hearts  will  be 
the  first  to  acknowledge. 

As  for  the  sacerdotal  life  of  our  Archbishop,  it 
has  stretched  across  a  very  remarkable  period  in 
the  history  of  New  England.  He  has  seen  the 
Church  rise  from  obscurity  to  eminence,  and  he 
has  seen  her  put  on  her  beautiful  garments  and 
come  forth  to  shed  light,  and  life,  and  peace,  and 
joy  over  the  hills  and  valleys  of  this  fair  land;  and 
he  has  had  no  small  share  in  her  work  and  he  has 
therefore  no  small  share  in  her  glory.  I  need  not 
catalogue  his  good  works,  nor  need  I  say  anything 
of  his  great  achievements,  with  the  exception  of 


122         A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

one,  as  a  sjTiibol  of  all  tlie  rest — the  erection  of 
St.  John's  Seminary  at  Brighton — for  from  that 
house  of  piety  and  learning  will  go  forth  a  salutary 
influence  throughout  the  whole  diocese  which  will 
not  only  be  felt  in  the  present  generation  but  for 
many  generations  to  come. 

Brethren  of  the  clergy  of  Boston,  I  need  not  say 
how  devoted  you  are  to  your  Archbishop.  You 
admire  and  revere  him  because  of  his  sense  of 
justice,  and  no  men  have  a  more  delicate  apprecia- 
tion of  justice  than  the  clergy  have  in  their  rela- 
tion to  their  spiritual  superior.  You  love  him  be- 
cause of  his  fatherly  attachment  to  you,  and  you 
are  ever  loyal  and  obedient  to  him,  for  obedience 
is  easy  and  delightful  when  it  is  inspired  by  love. 

But  as  a  chronicler  of  great  events,  I  feel  it  my 
duty  to  record  one  act  of  disobedience  on  the  part 
of  the  Boston  clergy  towards  their  chief  pastor — 
a  public  act  of  disobedience ;  a  public  act  for  which 
they  show  no  remorse  of  conscience,  an  act  in  which 
the  Vicar  General  was  the  leader.  I  refer  to  the 
fact  that  while  the  Archbishop  desired  to  have  a 
private  celebration,  you  rebelled  and  insisted  that 
it  should  be  public.  For  this  act  of  yours  I  forgive 
you;  I  thank  you,  and  I  bless  you  from  my  heart; 
for  without  your  act  we  would  not  be  here  today. 

I  for  one  would  have  been  deeply  sorry  not  to 
have  been  here  today,  for  it  enables  me  to  repay  a 
little  of  the  kindness  which  the  Archbishop  has 


AKCHBISHOP  WILLIAMS  123 

shown  in  the  honor  he  has  so  often  done  me  in 
staying  with  me  in  my  own  Episcopal  residence  on 
his  journeys  to  and  from  Washington,  and  of  often 
stopping  the  night  with  us  and  honoring  our 
'^prophet's  chamber."  His  visits  to  me  I  look 
upon  not  only  as  an  act  of  fraternal  affection  and 
kindness,  but  I  have  always  looked  upon  them  as 
an  honor  he  has  done  me.  I  am  glad  today  to  be 
able  to  make  a  return  visit  on  this  most  auspicious 
celebration. 

And  now  allow  me,  Most  Eeverend  Brother  in 
Christ,  to  offer  you  my  most  sincere  congratula- 
tions on  this  occasion,  in  the  name  of  the  Most 
Eev.  Apostolic  Delegate,  in  the  name  of  my  Most 
Eev.  and  Kt.  Rev.  colleagues,  and  in  my  own. 

I  well  know  how  distasteful  to  you  is  any  per- 
sonal allusion  to  yourself:  But  there  are  times 
and  circumstances  when  private  and  personal  feel- 
ings must  be  sacrificed  to  the  imperative  demands 
of  public  recognition.  And  this  is  one  of  these 
supreme  moments  of  your  life,  when  you  are 
placed  in  the  hands  of  your  friends. 

We  have  learned  to  admire  and  love  you  for 
your  sterling  honesty  of  purpose,  for  your  candor 
and  straightforwardness  of  character,  and  for  all 
those  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  that  make  the 
man.  There  is  no  Prelate  of  the  American  Church 
in  whose  judgment  we  have  placed  more  implicit 
reliance  than  in  yours.       Even  when  you  were 


124        A  RETROSPECT  OF  EIFTY  YEARS 

younger  in  years,  we  looked  up  to  you  as  a  ju- 
dicious counsellor.  But  now  we  can  claim  you  as 
our  Nestor  in  years,  as  well  as  in  wisdom. 

May  your  years  be  prolonged  like  those  of  your 
namesake  and  patron,  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 
May  you  live  to  celebrate  the  Golden  Jubilee  of 
your  Episcopate :  May  you  long  be  spared  to  be 
the  ornament  of  your  clergy,  the  guide  of  your 
people,  and  the  pride  and  glory  of  the  American 
Episcopate, 
upon  her. 


GOLDEN  JUBILEE 

OF 
BISHOP  LOUGHLIN 


SERMON  AT  THE  GOLDEN  JUBILEE  OF 

RT.  REV.  JOHN  LOUGHLIN,  BISHOP 

OF  BROOKLYN,  OCT.  18,  1890, 

Luke,  X,  1-9. 

NO  effect  can  be  greater  than  its  cause.  This 
is  a  sound  principle  of  Philosophy.  If 
then  we  consider  the  small  beginnings  of 
the  Christian  religion — the  sending  out  of  twelve 
fishermen  by  Him  who  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  was 
a  Galilean  peasant — we  must  either  conclude 
that  this  principle  of  Philosophy  is  utterly  false 
or  else  that  there  was  a  cause  here  greater  than 
that  of  which  at  that  time  the  mind  of  man  could 
have  been  aware. 

Never  has  there  been  upon  this  earth  so  wonder- 
ful a  monument  of  human  policy  as  the  Roman 
Empire,  stretching  from  the  forests  of  Germany 
to  the  Desert  of  Sahara;  from  the  pillars  of  the 
Hercules  to  the  Euphrates — a  state  made  up  of 
widely  differing  races  and  languages.  The  viva- 
cious Celt,  the  stolid  Teuton,  the  acute  Latin,  the 
wily  Greek,  the  subtle  Oriental  and  the  semi-bar- 
barous African,  and  yet  bound  together  by  a 

1S5 


126        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

matchless  civil  and  military  organization.  At  a 
word  the  Emperor  of  Eome  could  hurl  armies 
here  and  there.  His  voice  could  be  heard  at  the 
utmost  confines  of  his  dominion;  his  law  and  his 
edicts  were  observed  alike  in  the  midlands  of 
Britain  and  on  the  confines  of  Persia.  If  any 
earthly  power  was  ever  supreme  it  was  the  Eoman 
Empire.  It  dominated  all  departments  of  human 
life.  It  dictated  religion  and  morals  as  well  as 
civil  laws.  It  regarded  itself  as  truly  divine,  and 
the  statue  of  the  goddess  Eoma  and  the  statue  of 
every  succeeding  Emperor  became  the  most  popu- 
lar objects  of  worship  among  the  widely  differing 
subjects  of  this  mighty  Empire. 

Against  this  colossal  Empire  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  sent  out  a  band  of  fishermen,  together  with 
one  tax-gatherer,  to  which  he  ultimately  added  a 
tentmaker,  and  these  men  not  only  were  expected 
by  their  Master  to  subdue,  but  gradually  did  sub- 
due, the  imperial  power  of  Eome,  and  in  less  than 
three  hundred  years  after  the  Crucifixion  of  our 
Lord,  one  of  His  disciples  was  seated  upon  the 
throne  of  the  Caesars.  Thev  were  subdued  not  in- 
deed  by  enslaving  their  bodies, but  by  bending  their 
souls  to  the  yoke  of  the  Gospel.  In  the  e5^es  of  men 
the  attempt  would  have  seemed  one  of  frantic  au- 
dacity;  too  insane  to  be  taken  seriously.  But  it  was 
not  undertaken  by  men,  nor  was  it  carried  out  by 
human  power.    No  one  not  blinded  by  invincible 


BISHOP  LOUGIILIN  127 

prejudice  could  look  at  the  spread  of  Christianity 
during  the  first  three  centuries  without  exclaim- 
ing: ''Digitus  Dei  est  hie/'  which  is  to  sa^^  in 
our  English  tongue,  "The  finger  of  God  is  here." 

But  this  phenomenon  has  never  been  wanting 
during  the  history  of  the  Church.  The  spreading 
of  Catholicism  among  the  Northern  Barbarians 
was  as  remarkable,  in  some  ways  even  more  re- 
markable, than  the  conversion  of  the  Roman  Em- 
pire; and  in  our  own  time,  and  here  in  our  own 
country,  the  Catholic  Church  manifests  the  same 
bounding  vitality  and  has  spread  herself  in  a 
manner  truly  miraculous. 

I  do  not  think  you  will  charge  me  with  exaggera- 
tion or  with  straining  for  effect,  when  I  assert  that 
there  are  some  points  of  striking  analogy  between 
the  marvelous  development  of  Christianity  in  the 
Roman  Empire  in  apostolic  times,  and  the  won- 
derful growth  of  the  faith  in  our  days  in  this 
Empire  State,  and  notably  in  Long  Island  with 
which  I  am  directly  concerned. 

I  will  here  anticipate  an  objection  that  may 
occur  to  your  minds— that  while  the  christian 
church  in  apostolic  times  was  mainly  augmented 
from  the  ranks  of  Paganism,  the  Church  in  our 
times  has  been  chiefly  reinforced  from  the  ranks 
of  christian  immigrants  coming  from  the  shores 
of  Europe.  This  is  true.  But  I  maintain  that  if 
apostolic  zeal  and  piety  and  self-denial  were  re- 


128        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

quired  to  plant  the  faith  in  the  Christians  of  the 
first  century;  no  small  degree  of  zeal  and  self- 
sacrifice  were  demanded  in  the  nineteenth  century 
in  preserving  the  faith  of  those  who  had  already 
possessed  it. 

What  would  have  become  of  those  multitudes  of 
immigrants  who  came  to  our  shores  during  the 
present  century,  if  there  were  no  apostolic  men 
here  to  welcome  them,  to  preach  to  them  the  word 
of  salvation,  and  to  break  to  them  the  bread  of 
life?  How  many  thousands  of  them  and  of  their 
descendants  would  have  drifted  away  and  have 
become  aliens,  if  not  open  enemies  of  the  faith  of 
their  fathers? 

Now,  what  was  the  condition  of  religion  in  Long 
Island  when  your  Chief  Pastor  was  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Brooklyn  in  1853?  According  to  the 
directory  for  that  year,  the  whole  of  Long  Island 
contained  twenty  priests,  eighteen  churches,  most 
of  them  modest  and  unpretending  structures,  and 
two  orphan  asylums  with  a  Catholic  population  of 
about  25,000  souls. 

The  Venerable  Cardinal  McCloskey,  who  was 
born  in  1810,  remarked  to  me  that  in  his  youth  he 
and  his  family  having  no  church  in  Brooklyn 
wherein  to  worship,  were  obliged  to  cross  the  East 
River  in  a  boat  and  attend  divine  service  in  St. 
Peter's  Church,  New  York. 

What  is  the  present  condition  of  the  diocese  of 


BISHOP  LOUGHLIN  129 

Brooklyn?  It  possesses  200  priests,  150  churches 
and  chapels,  many  of  them  elegant  and  imposing 
houses  of  worship.  It  has  118  schools  and  acad- 
emies, where  28,000  children  of  both  sexes  are 
receiving  a  sound  Christian  education.  It  has 
asylums,  hospitals  and  other  benevolent  institu- 
tions, amounting  to  twenty  in  number,  with  a 
Catholic  population  estimated  in  round  numbers 
at  a  quarter  of  a  million.* 

And  all  this  work  has  been  accomplished  during 
the  life  and  under  the  supervision  of  one  man,  the 
modest  Prelate,  who  is  the  centre  of  our  thoughts 
today;  of  a  Prelate  who  lives,  thank  God,  to  con- 
template the  fruits  of  his  labors  after  "having 
borne  the  burden  of  the  day  and  the  heats,"  and 
to  gather  in  with  joy  the  harvest  which  he  must 
often  have  sown  in  tears. 

Were  I  to  single  out  one  particular  virtue 
among  the  many  which  adorn  the  life  of  your 
Bishop,  I  would  select  his  apostlic  zeal  for  relig- 
ion as  his  characteristic  trait.  Zeal  indomitable 
which  no  difficulties  could  subdue;  zeal  indefatig- 
able which  has  known  no  rest  for  seven  and  thirty 
years.  For,  if  I  am  correctly  informed,  your  chief 
Pastor  has  not  indugled  in  one  single  week^s  recre- 

*  Present  statistics  (1915)— 1  Bishop,  535  priests,  229 
Churches,  2  seminaries,  3  colleges,  124  academies  and  schools 
instructing  65,549  pupils;  asylums,  hospitals  and  other  benevo- 
lent institutions  27,  with  6,521  inmates,  and  a  Catholic  popula- 
tion of  750,000. 


130        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

ation  since  the  day  of  his  consecration.  Zeal  of 
the  brain  in  surveying  the  scene  like  a  viglant 
shepherd,  and  in  selecting  suitable  fields  of  pasture 
for  his  ever-increasing  flock.  Zeal  of  the  tongue 
in  preaching  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  ''not  in 
the  persuasive  words  of  human  wisdom,  but  in  the 
showing  of  the  spirit  and  of  power'';  preaching 
that  Gospel  which  gives  glory  to  God  and  peace 
to  man,  that  Gospel  which  reconciles  enemies,  par- 
dons the  sinner,  strengthens  the  weak,  comforts 
the  afflicted,  and  which  holds  out  to  all  the  blessed 
promises  of  eternal  life. 

Zeal  of  the  hands  in  performing  deeds  of  char- 
ity without  ostentation,  ''not  letting  his  left  hand 
know  what  his  right  hand  was  doing.'* 

Zeal  of  the  feet  in  incessant  motion  like  the  feet 
of  his  Master,  and  spreading  benediction  along 
his  path.  Oh!  how  well  do  the  words  of  the 
Prophet  Isaiah  apply  to  those  feet:  ^'How  beau- 
tiful on  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that 
bringeth  glad  tidings  and  that  preacheth  peace, 
of  him  that  showeth  forth  good,  that  preacheth 
salvation,  that  saith  to  Sion,  thy  God  shall  reign." 

How  your  indefatigable  Bishop  has  found  time 
to  select  judicious  sites  for  churches  and  schools 
and  academies,  asylums  and  hospitals ;  how  he  has 
found  time  to  visit  those  institutions  to  confer  the 
sacrament  of  confirmation  on  the  thousands  of 
candidates  that  annually  presented  themselves,  to 


BISHOP  LOUGHLIN  131 

attend  to  his  multifarious  correspondence,  and  to 
administer  the  affairs  of  his  large  diocese,  almost 
surpasses  my  comprehension.  It  can  be  explained 
only  on  the  assumption  that  he  has  fulfilled  the 
vow  which  some  apostlic  men  have  taken,  of  never 
wasting  a  moment's  time. 

About  twenty-five  years  ago  I  had  the  privilege 
of  dining  with  the  Bishop  at  his  residence.  After 
partaking  of  a  hasty  meal,  the  Bishop  politely 
excused  himself  and  retired  before  dinner  was 
quite  over.  One  of  the  clergy  of  his  household 
then  pleasantly  remarked  to  me:  ^^This  is  the 
Bishop's  way.  He  takes  no  rest;  he  enjoys  no 
siesta  after  dinner.  He  is  gone  to  fulfil  some 
engagement,  for  he  is  always  busy  about  his 
Father's  business." 

The  zeal  of  your  Bishop  has  been  marked  by 
three  predominant  features.  It  has  been  ever 
tempered  by  prudence  and  discretion;  it  has  been 
commended  by  a  blameless  life,  and  informed  by 
Christian  charity. 

Take  a  single  illustration  of  his  sound  financial 
judgment.  Do  you  ever  reflect,  my  Brethren,  on 
the  immense  weight  of  monetary  obligations  that 
has  been  resting  all  these  years  on  the  shoulders 
of  your  Bishop!  During  the  last  forty  years,  how 
many  powerful  corporations,  how  many  princely 
merchants,  who  had  been  regarded  as  the  Napol- 
eons of  finance,  have  been  crushed  beneath  the 


132        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

ruins  occasioned  by  some  financial  crisis !    During 
all  tliat  time  your  Bishop  has  been  involved  in 
large    business    transactions    for    religious    and 
charitable  purposes.    The  property  he  has  accum- 
ulated, has  amounted  to  thousands,  and  tens  of 
thousands,  and  hundreds  of  thousands,  nay  to  mil- 
lions of  dollars.    He  has  come  out  of  the  ordeal 
with  clean  hands  and  a  clean  heart,  without  a 
single  note  of  his  protested.    Had  only  one  of  his 
churches  been  sold  for  debt,  what  a  hue  and  cry 
would  have  been  raised,  what  adverse  criticism 
would  have  been  uttered  against  his  temporal  ad- 
ministration?   The  judgment  of  the  public  is  more 
severe  toward  churchmen  than  toward  laymen  in 
their  financial  short-comings.     A  failure  that  is 
condoned  as  a  misfortune,  when  a  civil  corpora- 
tion is  the  defaulter,  would  be  branded  almost  as 
a  crime,  as  well  as  a  blunder,  if  a  Bishop  were  the 
victim.    I  am  far  from  referring  in  a  fault-finding 
spirit,   to   this   discriminating  verdict   of   public 
opinion;  for,  society  has  surely  a  right  to  expect 
that  the  expounders  of  the  law  of  justice  should 
set  the  brightest  example  in  the  fulfilment  of  the 
law.   Now  I  ask  you  to  consider  what  foresight  and 
tact,  and  sound  practical  sense  and  judgment  must 
have  been  displayed  by  your  chief  Pastor  in  pass- 
ing through  these  financial  operations  with   so 
much  credit  to  himself,  and  so  much  honor  to  the 
diocese  over  which  he  presides. 


BISHOP  LOUGIILIN  133 

It  is  written  of  our  Saviour  that ' '  He  went  about 
doing  good.''  ''He  gave  sight  to  the  blind,  and 
hearing  to  the  deaf,  and  speech  to  the  dumb,  and 
strength  to  the  paralyized  limb.  He  cleansed  the 
leper  and  raised  the  dead  to  life.'' 

Your  modest  Bishop  lays  no  claim  to  such  mirac- 
ulous powers  as  these.  And  what  would  it  profit 
him  to  possess  such  extraordinary  gifts?  Mirac- 
ulous power  is  given  to  men  not  for  their  own 
advantage,  but  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  bene- 
fit of  their  fellow  beings.  Our  Lord  Himself  de- 
clares that  it  will  avail  wonder-workers  nothing  on 
the  last  day,  to  have  wrought  such  works,  if  their 
lives  were  not  in  keeping  with  their  sacred  calling. 
*'Many,"  He  tells  us,  ''will  say  to  Me,  on  that  day: 
Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  Thy  name, 
and  cast  out  devils  in  Thy  name,  and  done  many 
miracles  in  Thy  name?  And  He  will  say  to  them : 
I  know  you  not.  Depart  from  Me,  ye  who  work 
iniquity. " 

The  life  of  every  good  priest,  the  pontificate  of 
every  zealous  Bishop  has  upon  it  in  some  form  or 
other  the  mark  of  the  miraculous.  I  do  not  mean 
to  claim  that  Bishops  have  the  gift  of  miracles 
to  the  extent  to  which  Our  Lord  has  given  it  to 
some  of  His  great  saints,  but  the  gift  of  miracles 
is  certainly  given  in  some  form,  to  every  Bishop, 
as  we  read  in  the  service  of  consecration  for  a 
Bishop,  and  this  gift  is  manifested  as  God  wills 


134        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

and  as  times  and  occasions  require.  Certainly  to 
make  something  from  nothing  is  clearly  miracu- 
lous, and  when  I  look  over  the  accomplishment  of 
jour  Bishop  today,  I  am  compelled  to  believe  that 
more  than  human  power  has  been  at  his  disposal. 
Nor  is  he  alone  in  this.  When  one  considers  how 
few  were  our  numbers  originally  in  this  country, 
how  very,  very  poor,  for  the  most  part,  were  those 
who  came  to  us  from  across  the  sea,  and  when  one 
looks  over  the  American  Church  today,  one  real- 
izes that  our  Bishops,  like  the  blessed  Apostles, 
have  been  supported  by  a  power  clearly  divine. 
Therefore  no  man  may  boast,  for  the  glory  is  not 
of  man,  but  of  God. 

And  now,  Venerable  Brother,  permit  me  to  con- 
gratulate you  with  all  my  heart  on  this  auspicious 
occasion.  Not  only  in  my  own  behalf  but  on  behalf 
of  the  Episcopacy  of  the  American  Church.  Your 
glory  is  the  glory  of  us  all,  and  all  of  us  feel  hon- 
ored in  the  honors  which  a  devoted  clergy  and 
loving  people  are  heaping  upon  you  today.  Nor 
do  I  think  I  overstate  the  case,  that  this  city  with- 
out distinction  of  race  or  creed,  joins  with  us  today 
in  offering  to  you  the  felicitations  of  your  fellow 
citizens.  If  they  have  not  known  you  as  those  of 
the  household  of  faith  have  known  you,  they  have 
known  you  at  least  as  a  devoted  citizen,  as  the  head 
of  the  most  philanthropic  organization  in  the  city. 


BISHOP  LOUGHLIN  135 

and  as  a  zealous  promoter  of  its  social  progress 
and  material  prosperity. 

Fifty  years  ago  you  were  crowned  with  the 
aureola  of  the  priesthood.    Today  you  receive  the 
crown  of  your  golden  jubilee.    The  value  of  this 
crown  is  enhanced  by  the  consideration  that  it  is 
presented  to  you  not  by  one  particular  class,  but 
by  every  rank  of  the  community.    The  young  and 
the  old,  the  sons  of  toil  and  the  wealthy  mer- 
chant, the  public  functionary  and  the  private  cit- 
izen; bishops,  priests,  and  consecrated  virgins — all 
gladly  come  forward  to  add  a  wreath  to  the  diadem 
of  your  golden  jubilee.    Many  a  civil  ruler  might 
envy  you  this  spontaneous  manifestation  of  loy- 
alty.   Kings  may  demand  the  tribute  of  money; 
but  they  cannot  always  secure  the  higher  tribute 
of  the  heart's  affection  which  is  so  bountifully 
lavished  on  you.    May  we  not  devoutly  behold  in 
these  two  crowns,  the  presage  of  the  unfading 
crown  of  glory  which  our  Lord  will  give  unto  you 
in  that  day  when  you  appear  before  Him  to  receive 
the  reward  of  your  works. 

If  it  pleased  your  heavenly  Father  to  summon 
you  now  to  Himself  from  your  field  of  labor,  I  am 
sure  you  would  be  resigned  to  say  with  the  aged 
Simeon:  *'Now,  0  Lord,  Thou  mayest  dismiss 
Thy  servant  in  peace,''  for  I  have  proclaimed  Thy 
name  to  the  Gentiles,  and  Thy  glory  to  Thy  people 
Israel.'' 


136        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

But  such  is  not  the  wish  of  your  beloved  clergy 
and  people.  They  would  have  you  abide  with  them 
still  longer.  They  would  have  you  abide  with  them 
to  celebrate  the  golden  jubilee  of  your  Episcopate. 
They  would  have  you  abide  with  them  even  to  see 
the  years  of  your  great  patron  saint  and  name- 
sake, John,  the  beloved  disciple,  though,  like  him, 
you  would  have  only  sufficient  strength  to  ascend 
the  pulpit,  to  invoke  a  benediction  on  your  people, 
and  to  proclaim  to  them  the  universal  law  of  fra- 
ternal charity. 

And,  as  St.  John  was  the  last  survivor  of  the 
Apostolic  College,  so  are  you,  with  one  exception, 
the  last  survivor  of  that  heroic  band  of  apostolic 
men  that  were  laboring  with  you  fifty  years 
ago.  The  mild,  but  firm,  Dubois,  the  lion-hearted 
Hughes,  the  Cardinal,  whose  placid  features  are 
still  fresh  in  our  memory,  the  eloquent  Power,  the 
amiable  Starrs,  and  the  erudite  Pise,  and  their 
colleagues  have  passed  away. 

But,  though  your  old  companions  have  fallen  at 
the  post  of  duty,  I  see  before  me,  in  and  around 
the  sanctuary,  a  well-equipped  body  of  white-robed 
soldiers  worthy  heirs  of  the  faith  and  the  mission 
of  their  fathers,  who  lovingly  cluster  around  you, 
and  who  are  carrying  on  the  battle  of  the  Lord 
under  your  well-tried  leadership. 

But  whenever  the  day  comes  on  which  you  will 
be  called  to  render  an  account  of  your  stewardship, 


BISHOP  LOUGHLIN  137 

you  will  be  able  to  say:  Divine  Master,  ^'I  have 
manifested  Thy  name  to  the  men  whom  Thou  hast 
given  me  out  of  the  world.  .  .  .  Those  whom 
Thou  gavest  me  I  have  kept  and  none  of  them  is 
lost.'' 

And  even  when  you  have  passed  from  the 
scene  of  your  labors,  and  entered  into  the  joy  of 
the  Lord,  you  will  not  be  unmindful  of  this  city 
and  of  this  people  with  whom  your  Episcopal  life 
has  been  inseparably  identified. 

In  his  wonderful  funeral  oration  over  St. 
Basil,  the  great  St.  Gregory  of  Nanzianzen,  be- 
sought that  departed  Bishop  to  pray  for  his 
stricken  flock.  So  you  when  that  time  shall  come, 
will  lift  up  your  hands  before  God  in  his  eternal 
and  glorious  kingdom  for  those  who  were  com- 
mitted to  your  pastoral  care  on  earth. 

And  now,  Venerable  Brother  in  Christ,  during 
these  festive  scenes  you  are  no  doubt  in  a  retro- 
spective and  prospective  mood.  You  are  solemnly 
reflecting  on  your  fifty  years'  labor  in  the  ministry, 
and  prayerfully  looking  forward  to  the  reward 
from  your  Sovereign  Master.  Surely  it  is  not  an 
unreasonable  fancy  of  mine  that  you  are  at  this 
moment  piously  paraphrasing  the  words  which 
Christ  uttered  to  His  disciples  at  the  close  of  His 
earthly  career,  and  devoutly  thus  communing  with 
your  Lord:  ^^I  have  glorified  Thee  on  the  earth;  T 
have  nearly  finished  the  work  which  Thou  gavest 


138         A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

me  to  do,  and  now  glorify  Thoii  me,  0  Father,  with 
Thyself.  I  have  manifested  Thy  name  to  men. 
Thine  they  were  and  Thou  didst  give  them  to  me. 
The  words  which  Thou  gavest  me  I  have  communi- 
cated to  them,  and  they  have  received  them  and 
they  have  believed  that  Thou  didst  send  me.  I 
pray  for  them  because  they  were  Thine.  Sanctify 
them  in  the  truth." 

^'Thou  hast  gone  to  prepare  a  place  for  Thy  dis- 
ciples, that  where  Thou  art  they  also  might  be." 

Vouchsafe  also  to  prepare  a  place  for  me  and 
mine,  that  I  Thy  servant  and  those  Thou  hast  com- 
mitted to  my  care,  may  rest  with  Thee  in  Thy 
blessed  mansion  for  all  eternity. 


CARDINAL  GIBBONS'  JUBILEE 


JUBILEE  SERMON  PREACHED  IN  THE  BALTI- 
MORE CATHEDRAL  ON  SUNDAY. 
OCTOBER  1.  1911. 

WHEN  the  subject   of  commemorating  the 
golden  jubilee  of  my  ordination,  and  the 
silver  jubilee  of  my  elevation  to  the  Sacred 
College  was  under  consideration,  I  expressed  the 
desire  and  intention  of  celebrating  the  event  with 
the  least  possible  display. 

But  you  all  know  how  my  modest  arrangements 
were  dashed  aside  by  the  kind  partiality  of  my 
friends  and  fellow-citizens  of  Baltimore,  Wash- 
ington and  Maryland.  Never,  indeed,  shall  I  for- 
get, never  shall  I  cease  to  be  grateful  for  the 
unparalleled  reception  of  June  6th,  which  will 
always  be  a  red  letter  day  in  the  annals  of  our 
city— when  the  President  of  the  United  States  and 
the  leading  members  of  the  three  co-ordinate 
branches  of  the  government  assembled  in  Armory 
Hall,  with  the  Governor  of  Maryland,  the  Mayor 
and  City  Council  and  together  with  the  prominent 
citizens  of  the  city  and  State,  to  pay  your  Cardinal 
Archbishop  an  honor  beyond  his  deserts. 

139 


140        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

Tlie  pleasure  of  tliis  demonstration  was  en- 
hanced by  the  consideration  that  it  was  so  cordial 
and  spontaneous,  and  was  conceived  and  under- 
taken without  the  slightest  suggestion  or  expecta- 
tion on  his  part. 

Besides  that  civic  festivity,  I  shall  be  honored 
on  the  15th  of  this  month  by  a  large  concourse  of 
my  brethren  of  the  Episcopate  and  Clergy  from 
various  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
who  will  join  with  me  in  the  religious  celebration 
of  the  Jubilee. 

It  is  very  natural  that  on  an  occasion  like  the 
present  I  should  indulge  in  some  reminiscences. 
This  is  a  privilege  of  the  old  in  which  the  young 
cannot  share. 

All  the  priests  that  were  ordained  for  this 
diocese  with  me,  or  before  my  time,  have  long 
since  passed  away;  and  all  my  Episcopal  brethren 
with  whom  I  began  to  labor  after  my  consecration, 
43  years  ago,  have  gone  to  their  reward,  with  one 
solitary  exception,  and  that  exception  is  the  ven- 
erable Bishop  of  Kansas  City.*  Though  I  value 
the  friendship  of  my  junior  colleagues,  I  feel  a 
sense  of  loneliness  in  the  absence  of  my  old  com- 
panions with  whom  I  sat  so  often  in  Council,  and 
with  whom  I  labored  so  long  in  the  Vineyard  of 
the  Lord. 

At  the  close  of  the  Third  Plenary  Council,  in 

*  The  Reverend  Dr.  Hogan.    He  died  in  1913. 


CAEDINAL'S  GOLDEN  JUBILEE  141 

1884,  the  patriarchal  Archljishop  of  St.  Louis,  ad- 
dressing me  in  the  name  of  his  colleagues, 
remarked  that  ''when  Xerxes,  the  Persian  leader, 
beheld  over  a  million  of  soldiers  standing  before 
him  in  martial  array,  he  shed  tears  on  reflecting 
that  in  100  years  this  grand  army  would  have  per- 
ished from  the  face  of  the  earth.  And  in  fifty 
years,''  the  Archbishop  added,  ''all  the  Prelates 
assembled  in  this  cathedral  shall  have  paid  the 
debt  of  nature." 

*'That  is  true,''  I  replied,  "but,  thank  God,  we 
are  immortal;  for  the  present  life  is  but  the  pre- 
lude of  that  which  is  to  come,  and  we  shall  meet 
again  in  the  temple  of  which  God  Himself  is  the 
architect,  'for  we  know  that  if  this  our  earthly 
habitation  is  dissolved,  we  have  a  house  of  God 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.' '' 

Of  the  seventy-two  Prelates  who  attended  the 
Council  of  1884  all  but  nine  have  paid  the  debt 
of  morality.* 

It  may  be  interesting  as  well  as  consoling  to 
institute  a  comparison  between  the  Church  of  1861 
and  its  present  situation  after  half  a  century. 

In  1861  the  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  the 
United  States  numbered  48.  The  priests  were 
2,064.  The  number  of  churches  with  priests  at- 
tached was  2,042,  and  the  Catholic  population  was 
estimated  at  1,860,000. 

'f'Only  six  now  survive. 


142        A  RETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

The  number  of  Archbishops  and  Bishops  today 
in  charge  of  Sees  amounts  to  96.  Just  twice  as 
many  as  existed  in  1861.  The  priests  amount  to 
17,000,  an  increase  of  over  eightfold.  There  are 
13,500  churches,  nearly  a  sevenfold  increase.  We 
have  about  15  millions  of  Church  members,  over 
four  times  as  many  as  existed  in  the  United  States 
in  1861.* 

But  the  progress  of  religion  in  our  country  is  to 
be  estimated  not  only  by  the  augmentation  of  the 
numbers  of  its  communicants,  but  also  by  its  more 
efficient  co-ordination  and  discipline.  The  clergy 
in  1861,  were  as  detached  squadrons  compared  to 
the  compact  and  well-marshalled  army  of  today. 
Half  a  century  ago,  the  Prelates  and  clergy  la- 
bored under  many  adverse  circumstances.  In 
widely  extended  parts  of  the  country,  they  had 
to  minister  to  the  faithful  scattered  over  a  vast 
expanse  of  territory,  without  organized  parishes, 
often  without  churches  wherein  to  worship,  and 
without  Catholic  schools.  They  had  but  scant  re- 
sources to  sustain  them.  Frequently  they  had  to 
contend  with  deep-rooted  prejudices. 

Now,  thank  God,  we  have  in  most  places  parishes 
well  organized.     Churches  have  multiplied  from 

•According  to  the  latest  statistics  (1916)  there  are  now 
14  Archbishops  (Including  3  Cardinals)  97  Bishops,  19,572 
Priests,  15,163  Churches  and  16,564,109  Catholics  In  the  United 
States. 


CARDINAL'S  GOLDEN  JUBILEE  143 

the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  Parochial  schools  have 
become  the  rule  instead  of  the  exception  in  the 
large  centers  of  population,  A  generous  laity  are 
usually  able  and  always  willing  to  aid  our  mission- 
aries. An  unfriendly  feeling  indeed  still  exists  in 
some  quarters,  as  the  result  of  long-standing  tra- 
ditions and  a  biased  education.  But  the  mists  of 
prejudice  are  gradually  disappearing  before  the 
sunlight  of  truth. 

Let  me  address  you,  my  junior  brethren  of  the 
Episcopate  and  the  clergy.  Oh !  you  who  are  now 
in  the  full  tide  of  physical  and  intellectual  vigor, 
I  congratulate  you ;  your  lines  are  fallen  in  pleas- 
ant places.  What  a  rich  field  is  open  to  your 
apostolic  zeal !  You  represent  the  highest  author- 
ity in  the  world,  the  Lord  of  Hosts  Himself.  You 
go  forth  as  the  envoys  not  of  an  earthly  potentate, 
but  of  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  To 
be  an  ambassador  of  Christ  is  a  heavy  charge.  It 
means  the  giving  up  of  one 's  whole  life,  the  bend- 
ing of  one's  every  energy  to  the  cause  for  which 
we  have  enrolled  ourselves,  for  the  subject  of  our 
embassy  is  nothing  short  of  eternal  life,  and  the 
work  of  our  embassy  is  nothing  less  than  the 
salvation  of  souls. 

Your  mission  is  to  an  enlightened  American 
people  who  are  manly  and  generous,  open  to  con- 
viction, and  who  will  give  you  a  patient  hearing. 
The  American  race  form  the  highest  type  of  a 


144        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

Christian  nation  when  their  natural  endowment 
of  truth,  justice  and  indomitable  energy  are  en- 
grafted on  the  supernatural  virtues  of  faith,  hope 
and  charity. 

But,  my  brethren  of  the  laity,  the  mightiest 
efforts  of  your  Bishops  and  Clergy  will  be  of  no 
avail  without  your  generous  co-operation.  If  the 
genius  of  a  Washington,  a  Wellington,  and  a  Na- 
poleon would  be  exerted  in  vain  without  the  help 
of  their  armies,  so  the  zeal  of  a  Peter  and  a  John 
the  Baptist  and  the  eloquence  of  a  Paul  would  be 
fruitless  without  the  active  concurrence  of  their 
devoted  disciples.  But  when  the  prelates,  the 
clergy  and  people  are  united  in  the  cause  of  re- 
ligion and  humanity,  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail. 
We  form  an  impregnable  phalanx  which  cannot 
be  pierced.  We  constitute  a  triple  alliance  far 
more  formidable  and  enduring  than  the  alliance 
of  kings  and  potentates,  for  ours  is  not  a  confed- 
eration of  flesh  and  blood,  but  an  alliance  cemented 
by  divine  charity. 

You  will  always  be  loyal  in  the  profession  and 
faithful  in  the  practice  of  your  religion.  You  will 
take  an  active,  personal  interest  in  all  that  concerns 
the  welfare  of  Holy  Church.  You  will  rejoice  in 
her  growth  and  prosperity,  and  will  grieve  at  any 
adversity  that  may  befall  her.  You  will  be  ani- 
mated by  the  spirit  of  the  Prophet,  when  he 
mourned  over  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and 


CARDINAL'S  GOLDEN  JUBILEE  145 

besought  God  to  have  mercy  upon  her  and  deliver 
her  from  her  enemies. 

And  as  citizens  of  the  United  States  you  should 
take  a  patriotic  part  in  every  measure  that  con- 
tributes to  the  progress  of  the  Commonwealth. 
No  man  liveth  to  himself  alone,  nor  can  any  man 
shirk  his  responsibility.  No  matter  how  humble 
may  be  our  station,  our  country  will  be  either  a 
little  better  or  a  little  worse  because  we  have  lived. 

At  the  present  moment  there  are  three  political 
problems  which  are  engaging  the  serious  attention 
of  our  public  men. 

It  is  proposed  that  United  States  Senators 
should  be  elected  by  popular  vote,  instead  of  being 
chosen  by  the  Legislature,  as  is  prescribed  by  the 
Constitution. 

It  is  proposed  that  the  Acts  of  our  Legislature, 
before  they  have  the  force  of  law,  should  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  suffrage  of  our  people  who  would 
have  the  right  of  veto. 

It  is  proposed  to  recall  or  remove  an  unpopular 
judge  before  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office. 

No  one  questions  the  ability,  the  sincerity  and 
patriotism  of  the  advocates  of  these  changes  in 
our  organic  laws.  But  I  hope  I  may  not  be  pre- 
sumjDtuous  in  saying  that,  in  my  opinion,  the  wis- 
iom  of  the  proposed  amendments  must  be  seriously 
questioned. 

The  election  of  Senators  by  the  votes  of  the 


146        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

people  involves  tlie  destruction  of  a  strong  bul- 
wark against  dangerous  popular  encroachments. 
The  reason  given  for  the  contemplated  change  is 
that  many  of  our  State  Legislatures  are  charged 
with  being  venal,  and  that  it  is  easier  to  corrupt 
the  Legislature  than  the  whole  people.  In  reply 
I  would  say:  If  you  can  not  trust  the  members 
of  the  Legislature,  how  can  you  trust  their  con- 
stituents from  whom  they  spring?  If  you  can  not 
confide  in  our  Legislatures,  you  can  not  confide  in 
human  government,  nor  in  human  nature  itself. 
If  a  few  of  our  Legislatures  have  been  found 
guilty  of  bribery,  it  is  most  unjust  to  involve  all 
the  others  in  their  condemnation.  I  have  sufficient 
confidence  in  the  moral  integrity  of  our  Legisla- 
tures to  be  convinced  that  the  great  majority  of 
them  have  never  bent  the  knee  to  Mammon. 

To  give  to  the  masses  the  right  of  annulling  the 
Acts  of  the  Legislature,  is  to  substitute  mob  law 
for  established  rule. 

To  recall  a  judge  because  his  decisions  do  not 
meet  with  popular  approval,  is  an  insult  to  the 
dignity,  the  independence,  and  the  self-respect  of 
our  judiciary.  Far  less  menacing  to  the  Common- 
wealth is  an  occasional  corrupt  or  incompetent 
judge,  than  one  who  would  be  the  habitual  slave 
of  a  capricious  multitude,  and  who  would  have  his 
ear  to  the  ground  to  catch  the  popular  cry. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  is  the 


CARDINAL'S  GOLDEN  JUBILEE  147 

palladium  of  our  liberties  and  our  landmark  in 
our  march  of  progress.  That  instrument  has  been 
framed  by  the  anxious  cares  and  enlightened  zeal 
of  the  Fathers  of  the  Eepublic.  Its  wisdom  has 
been  tested  and  successfully  proved  after  a  trial 
of  a  century  and  a  quarter.  It  has  weathered  the 
storms  of  the  century  which  is  passed,  and  it 
should  be  trusted  for  the  centuries  to  come.  What 
has  been  good  enough  for  our  fathers  ought  to  be 
good  enough  for  us.  Every  change,  either  in  the 
political  or  religious  world,  is  not  a  reformation. 

*^  Better  to  bear  the  ills  we  know,  than  fly  to 
those  we  know  not  of."  Do  not  disturb  the  politi- 
cal landmarks  of  the  republic. 


ARCHBISHOP  KATZER'S 

RECEPTION  OF 

PALLIUM 


ADDRESS  AT  ARCHBISHOP  KATZER'S 

RECEPTION  OF  THE  PALLIUM. 

AUGUST  20.  1890. 

ICOEDIALLY  congratulate  you,  most  Eeverend 
Father,  on  the  well-merited  distinction  con- 
ferred on  you  in  your  elevation  to  the  Epis- 
copal throne  once  occupied  by  your  two  venerated 
Predecessors  whose  names  are  enshrined  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  of  this  archdiocese. 

Of  your  immediate  Predecessor,  Most  Rev. 
Michael  Heiss,  it  is  quite  unnecessary  for  me  to 
speak,  for  his  virtues  and  good  deeds  are  still 
fresh  in  the  momory  of  my  hearers.  I  will  simply 
remark  that  he  left  the  impress  of  his  learning 
as  well  as  of  his  modest  demeanor  on  the  Prelates 
of  the  late  Plenary  Council  of  Baltimore. 

But  I  am  impelled  to  say  a  few  words  about  the 
first  Metropolitan  of  this  diocese,  Archbishop 
Henni,  whose  placid  features  are  indelibly  stamped 
on  my  heart  and  for  whom  I  conceived  a  profound 
admiration  since  I  met  him  for  the  first  time  in 
1866.  Bishop  Henni  attended  the  Second  Plenary 
Council  of  Baltimore,  held  in  that  year,  and  as  I 

148 


ARCHBISHOP  KATZER  149 

was  an  official  of  that  Council,  I  had  the  privilege 
of  assisting  at  its  business  sessions.  I  was  struck 
by  the  respect  and  veneration  in  which  the  Bishop 
was  held  by  his  colleagues.  They  regarded  him  as 
a  saint.  His  labors  as  the  pioneer  apostle  of  Wis- 
consin had  gone  before  him;  and  if  my  memory 
serves  me  right,  the  assembled  Bishops  recom- 
mended to  the  Holy  Father  that  Milwaukee  should 
be  erected  to  a  Metropolitan  See,  as  a  tribute  of 
homage  to  the  zeal  and  piety  of  its  first  Bishop. 

When  this  See  was  created,  streams  of  immi- 
grants, chiefly  from  Germany  and  Ireland,  were 
steadily  flowing  into  Wisconsin  which  then  com- 
prised the  diocese  of  Milwaukee. 

The  young  Bishop  surveyed  the  vast  field  with 
an  eagle  eye.  He  bought  property  in  localities 
where  towns  were  likely  to  be  established,  and 
thus  by  his  foresight  he  made  timely  provision  for 
the  future  spiritual  needs  of  the  State. 

We  have  only  to  contemplate  the  scene  before 
us  today  to  be  convinced  that  the  Catholic  Church 
of  America  is  a  family  derived  from  many  nations. 
It  reminds  us  of  the  heterogeneous  multitude  that 
were  assembled  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  who 
all  heard,  each  one  in  his  own  tongue,  the  wonder- 
ful works  of  Grod  proclaimed  by  the  Apostles. 

Not  so  varied  was  the  audience  that  listened  to 
the  Apostles  on  Pentecost  day,  as  are  the  congre- 
gations that  arrive  at  our  shores  and  kneel  to- 


150        A  KETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

gether  at  our  altars.  Many  come  to  us  from  Eng- 
land, Ireland,  Scotland,  Germany,  Austria,  Hun- 
gary, France,  Italy,  Poland,  Bohemia,  Belgium 
and  Holland,  and  commingle  together  in  prayer 
with  the  great  American  Catholic  body,  that  holds 
out  to  them  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  Differ- 
ing in  language,  in  habits  and  tastes,  they  all  are 
united  in  the  bonds  of  a  common  religion,  having 
^^one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and 
Father  of  all  Who  is  above  all,  and  through  all, 
and  in  us  all. ' ' 

But  thanks  to  God,  the  Catholic  Church  of 
America  is  united  not  only  by  the  bonds  of  a  com- 
mon faith,  but  what  is  more  precious,  it  is  united 
also  by  the  bond  of  Christian  brotherhood. 

I  venture  to  say  that  in  no  country  in  Christen- 
dom are  the  members  of  the  hierarchy  more  united 
and  more  compact,  there  are  none  who  enjoy  more 
intimate  and  cordial  relations  with  one  another, 
than  the  hierarchy  of  the  United  States.  This  fra- 
ternal feeling  is  all  the  more  to  be  admired,  as  a 
large  proportion  of  the  Bishops  of  the  country  are 
descended  from  different  nations  of  Europe. 

What  a  striking  illustration  of  this  brotherly 
spirit  was  exhibited  at  the  Plenary  Council  of 
Baltimore  in  1884,  when  seventy-five  Bishops  as- 
sembled together  in  Solemn  Council  to  establish 
disciplinary  laws  for  the  Church  in  the  United 
States.    Well  could  the  prelates  gathered  together 


ARCHBISHOP  KATZER  151 

chant  the  words  of  the  Eoyal  Prophet:  ** Behold 
how  good  and  how  pleasant  a  thing  it  is  for  breth- 
ren to  dwell  together  in  unity. '* 

This  brotherly  sentiment  was  perhaps  still  more 
strikingly  manifested  at  the  recent  Centennial  cele- 
bration in  Baltimore,  in  1889,  for  on  that  occasion 
eighty-five  bishops  met  together,  not  in  obedience 
to  the  command  of  a  higher  authority,  but  inspired 
by  the  warm  impulses  of  their  own  hearts,  to  com- 
memorate with  gladness  the  establishment  of  the 
Catholic  hierarchy  in  our  cherished  land  one  hun- 
dred years  before. 

And  do  we  not  find  around  us  today  another 
evidence  of  these  same  cordial  relations  when  we 
contemplate  so  many  bishops  and  priests,  coming 
from  different  and  remote  parts  of  the  country, 
and  uniting  to  pay  honor  to  the  distinguished  prel- 
ate whom  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  has  placed  over 
this  flourishing  archidiocese  of  Milwaukee. 

Woe  to  him,  my  brethren,  who  would  destroy  or 
impair  this  blessed  harmony  that  reigns  among 
us !  Woe  to  him  who  would  sow  tares  of  discord 
in  the  fair  fields  of  the  Church  of  America  I  Woe 
to  him  who  would  breed  dissension  among  the  lead- 
ers of  Israel  by  introducing  a  spirit  of  nationalism 
into  the  camps  of  the  Lord!  Brothers  we  are, 
whatever  may  be  our  nationality,  and  brothers  we 
shall  remain — we  will  prove  to  our  countrymen 
that   the  ties   formed  by  grace   and  faith   are 


152        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

stronger  than  flesli  and  blood — G-od  and  our  coun- 
try! This  onr  watchword — ^Loyalty  to  God's 
Church  and  to  our  country! — this  our  religious 
and  political  faith. 

Let  us  unite  hand  in  hand  in  laboring  for  the 
Church  of  our  fathers.  The  more  we  extend  the 
influence  of  the  Christian  religion,  the  more  we  will 
contribute  to  the  stability  of  our  political  and  social 
fabric.  Let  zeal  for  religion  ever  burn  in  our 
hearts.  Let  us  so  work  for  God  that  the  words  of 
the  Psalmist  may  apply  to  each  of  us :  * '  The  zeal 
of  Thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up." 

Next  to  love  for  God,  should  be  our  love  for  our 
country.  The  Author  of  our  being  has  stamped  in 
the  human  breast  a  love  for  one's  country,  and 
therefore  patriotism  is  a  sentiment  commended  by 
Almighty  God  Himself.  If  the  inhabitant  of  the 
Artie  regions  clings  to  his  country  though  living 
amid  perpetual  ice  and  snow,  how  much  more 
should  we  be  attached  to  this  land  of  ours  so  boun- 
tifully favored  by  heaven,  and  if  the  Apostles  in- 
culcated respect  for  their  rulers,  and  obedience  to 
the  laws  of  the  Roman  Empire,  though  these  laws 
were  often  framed  for  the  purpose  of  crushing  and 
exterminating  the  primitive  Christians,  how  much 
more  devoted  should  we  be  to  our  civil  government 
which  protects  us  in  our  person  and  property, 
without  interfering  with  our  rights  and  liberties, 
and  with  what  alacrity  we  should  observe  the  laws 


ARCHBISHOP  KATZER  153 

of  our  country  which  were  framed  solely  with  the 
view  of  promoting  our  peace  and  happiness ! 

The  Catholic  community  in  the  United  States 
has  been  conspicuous  for  its  loyalty  in  the  century 
that  has  passed  away;  and  we,  I  am  sure,  will 
emulate  the  patriotism  of  our  Fathers  in  the  faith. 
Let  us  glory  in  the  title  of  American  citizen.  We 
owe  our  allegiance  to  one  country,  and  that  coun- 
try is  America.    We  must  be  in  harmony  with  our 
political  institutions.    It  matters  not  whether  this 
is  the  land  of  our  birth  or  the  land  of  our  adoption. 
It  is  the  land  of  our  destiny.    Here  we  intend  to 
live  and  here  we  hope  to  die.    When  our  brethren 
across  the  Atlantic  resolve  to  come  to  our  shores, 
may  they  be  animated  by  the  sentiments  of  Ruth 
when  she  determined  to  join  her  husband's  kin- 
dred in'the  land  of  Israel,  and  may  they  say  to 
you,  as  she  said  to  her  relations:    ^'Whither  thou 
hast  gone,  I  also  shall  go — where  thou  dwellest,  I 
also  shall  dwell,  thy  people  shall  be  my  people — 
and  thy  God,  my  God.    The  land  that  shall  receive 
thee  dying,  in  the  same  will  I  die,  and  there  will  I 
be  buried. ' ' 

And  now,  Most  Reverend  Father  in  Christ,  per- 
mit me  to  felicitate  you  on  this  auspicious  occa- 
sion, or  rather  to  congratulate  the  archdiocese  over 
which  the  Holy  See,  through  the  voice  of  Peter's 
successor,  has  been  pleased  to  appoint  you.  The 
Pallium  with  which  I  had  the  honor  to  invest  you 


154        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

today  is  a  sacred  emblem  of  your  enlarged  juris- 
diction and  of  the  more  intimate  relations  which 
will  bind  you  to  the  Apostolic  See. 

I  am  sure  you  will  prove  yourself  eminently 
worthy  of  the  new  honor  which  has  been  conferred 
on  you  and  that  you  will  exhibit  towards  the  Chair 
of  Peter  and  towards  the  person  of  the  Soverign 
Pontiff  the  same  loyalty,  reverence  and  filial  affec- 
tion which  have  marked  your  career  as  a  priest,  a 
professor  and  a  Bishop  of  the  Church  of  God. 

In  the  wider  field  of  labor  over  which  Providence 
has  set  you,  you  will  have  more  ample  scope  for 
the  exercise  of  those  talents  and  gifts  of  eloquence 
with  which  God  has  endowed  you — ^you  will  be  a 
Father  to  all  your  children  in  Christ,  and  what- 
ever special  love  you  may  naturally  have,  like 
Jacob  for  Joseph  and  Benjamin,  will  not  diminish 
your  affection  for  their  brethren. 

And  I  have  no  doubt  that  your  clergy  and  people 
will  continue  to  exercise  towards  you  that  loyalty, 
obedience  and  generous  co-operation  which  they 
have  ever  manifested  towards  your  predecessors 
in  the  See  of  Milwaukee.  They  will  hold  up  your 
hands  as  the  children  of  Israel  held  up  the  hands 
of  Moses ;  they  will  stand  around  you  like  valiant 
soldiers ;  they  will  rejoice  in  your  prosperity  and 
grieve  at  every  adversity  that  may  befall  you. 
They  will  take  a  loyal,  personal  and  warm  inter- 
est in  every  work  you  may  undertake  in  the  cause 


ARCHBISHOP  KATZER  155 

of  charity  and  religion  and  for  the  advancement 
of  Christ's  Kingdom  on  earth. 

The  most  acceptable  prayer  that  I  can  offer  for 
your  Grace  is  this:  May  you  emulate  the  apos- 
tolic virtues  of  your  venerable  predecessors.  May 
you  receive  their  double  spirit,  and  may  their 
mantle  fall  upon  you  as  the  mantle  of  Elias  fell 
on  Eliseus.  May  you  walk  in  their  footsteps  and 
leave  the  impress  of  your  good  deeds  on^the  Arch- 
diocese as  they  have  done.  May  you  build  on  the 
broad  and  deep  foundations  which  they  have  laid, 
and  when  your  work  is  done  may  you  hear  the 
voice  of  our  Divine  Eedeemer  say  to  you,  *^Well 
done  thou  good  and  faithful  servant,  because  thou 
hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  make 
thee  ruler  over  many  things.  Enter  thou  into  the 
joy  of  thy  Lord.'' 


THE  PATRONAGE  OF 
ST.  JOSEPH 


SERMON  ON  THE  PATRONAGE  OF  ST.  JOSEPH. 

DELIVERED  AT  ST.  JOSEPH'S  CHURCH. 

BALTIMORE.  MD..  MARCH  19,  1878. 

Joseph  "was  a  just  man."    St.  Matt,  i,  19. 

THE  most  beautiful  and  fragrant  flowers  are 
sometimes  found  to  grow  on  mountain 
slopes,  and  enrich  by  their  sweet  odor  the 
air  of  heaven,  where  there  is  no  human  hand  to 
pluck  them,  nor  human  breath  to  tarnish  their 
lustre.  What  we  say  of  flowers  in  the  physical 
world,  we  may  apply  to  St.  Joseph  in  the  order  of 
grace.  He  is  truly  that  chaste  flower  planted  by 
the  hand  of  God  in  the  secluded  garden  of  Naz- 
areth, and  delighting  the  angels  and  the  Lord  of 
Angels  by  the  sweet  odor  of  his  virtues.  Hence  St. 
Joseph  is  very  appropriately  represented  to  us  by 
painters  as  bearing  in  his  hand  a  pure-white  lily 
to  denote  the  angelic  sanctity  of  his  life  which  was 
never  sullied  by  contact  with  the  world. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  how  God  has  often  con- 
cealed from  public  knowledge  the  history  of  many 
men  most  eminent  for  their  holiness,  lest  perhaps 
the  fame  of  their  virtues  should  kindle  in  their 

156 


ST.  JOSEPH'S,  BALTIMORE  157 

soul  the  spark  of  vain  glory,  or  deprive  them  of 
that  simplicity  of  heart  and  purity  of  intention  in 
which  their  heavenly  Spouse  takes  so  much  delight. 
Such  is  the  peculiarity  which  we  discover  in  the 
life  of  that  illustrious  Patriarch  whose  Patronage 
we  celebrate  today. 

No  human  eye  was  worthy  to  penetrate  into  the 
sanctuary  of  Joseph.  No  human  witness  was 
worthy  of  intruding  on  the  sanctity  of  the  house 
of  Nazareth.  No  ordinary  pen  was  fit  to  record 
the  virtues  of  that  divine  Family  upon  earth. 
That  privilege  was  reserved  for  the  Spirit  of  God 
Himself.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  the  only  historian 
worthy  of  Joseph.  By  the  pen  of  the  Evangelist 
He  has  pronounced  the  eulogy  of  your  patron  Saint 
in  these  few  but  comprehensive  words  of  the  Gos- 
pel which  tells  us  that ' '  Joseph  was  a  just  man. '  * 

And  yet,  my  Brethren,  though  the  life  of  Joseph 
was  so  hidden  and  so  retired,  I  venture  to  say 
that  his  example  gives  consolation  and  encourage- 
ment to  a  greater  number  of  souls  than  any  Saint 
in  the  calendar;  more  even  than  the  brilliant  life 
of  St.  Paul;  for  while  few  are  able  or  obliged  to 
imitate  the  heroic  virtues  of  the  Apostle  of  the 
Gentiles,  most  of  you  lead  domestic  lives  and  are 
called  upon  to  practise  the  domestic  virtues  of 
Joseph. 

And  how  consoling  it  is  to  think  that  without 
going  beyond  the  pale  of  your  legitimate  duties, 


158        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

you  may,  like  Josepli,  attain  the  highest  degree  of 
sanctity ! 

St.  Joseph  was  born  of  a  very  noble  family, 
being  descended  from  the  kings  of  Juda.  He  had 
the  honor  of  numbering  among  his  ancestors  the 
illustrious  and  pious  king  David.  But  it  was  not 
the  royal  origin  of  Joseph  that  rendered  him  so 
acceptable  to  Almighty  God  but  the  singular  holi- 
ness of  his  life.  Nor  would  he  ever  have  found  a 
place  in  the  calendar  of  the  Saints,  nor  would  the 
Church  celebrate  his  name  on  her  altars  through- 
out the  Christian  world  today,  if  he  had  no  other 
claim  to  our  respect  than  his  exalted  lineage; 
for  the  Church  honors  virtue  wherever  she  finds  it, 
whether  in  the  huts  of  rustics  or  the  palaces  of 
kings.  The  Church,  like  God  Himself,  has  no  dis- 
tinction of  persons.  All  are  equal  before  her  eyes. 
Virtue  is  her  only  standard  of  excellence.  Today 
she  honors  the  prince  on  her  altars ;  tomorrow,  the 
peasant. 

There  is  no  virtue,  peculiar  to  his  state,  which 
did  not  shine  forth  in  our  great  Saint,  for  the  title 
of  ^^just,''  which  he  received  from  the  Holy 
Ghost,  expresses  a  reunion  of  all  gifts  and  graces. 
Joseph  fulfilled  all  justice  towards  God;  towards 
Jesus;  towards  Mary. 

It  is  in  accordance  with  the  dispensations  of  a 
wise  Providence,  that  whenever  God  wishes  to 
employ  His  servants  in  some  great  and  holy  un- 


ST.  JOSEPH'S,  BALTIMORE  159 

dertaking,  He  gives  tliem  the  necessary  graces  to 
fulfil  the  exalted  station  to  which  He  assigns  them. 
Thus  He  sanctified  St.  John  the  Baptist  from  his 
very  birth,  because  he  was  to  be  the  Precursor  of 
Our  Lord.  Thus  also  did  He  confirm  the  Apostles 
in  grace,  because  they  were  to  be  the  founders  of 
His  Church.  Thus  did  He  select  Mary,  the  purest 
of  the  daughters  of  Israel,  and  bestowed  upon  her 
the  plentitude  of  His  grace,  because  she  was  des- 
tined to  be  the  Mother  of  the  Incarnate  Word. 
And  in  like  manner,  we  must  piously  believe  that 
God  enriched  the  soul  of  Joseph  with  extraordi- 
nary sanctity  when  He  appointed  him  to  be  that 
faithful  and  prudent  servant  who  was  placed  over 
His  Divine  Family  on  earth — Joseph  who  was 
constituted  the  guide  and  guardian  of  His  Son 
Jesus;  the  shadow  of  His  Providence  and  repre- 
sentative of  His  authority.  For,  if  so  much  sanc- 
tity was  required  of  the  Baptist  who  came  to  pre- 
pare the  way  of  the  Lord;  if  the  Apostles  were 
endowed  with  so  much  grace  because  they  were 
the  first  heralds  of  His  Gospel  and  pillars  of  His 
Church,  surely  the  highest  order  of  moral  recti-, 
tude  must  be  found  in  him  who  was  chosen  to  be 
the  companion  of  Jesus  for  thirty  years. 

We  generally  judge  of  the  character  of  a  man 
by  the  company  he  keeps.  How  could  Joseph  have 
lived  for  so  many  years  with  that  divine  family 
without  catching,  as  it  were,  the  contagion  of  their 


160        A  RETROSPECT  OF  EIFTY  YEARS 

virtues!  It  was  impossible  for  Joseph  to  have 
stood  so  long  near  Jesus,  that  fire  of  divine  love, 
without  being  warmed  by  the  heavenly  breath 
which  breathed  upon  him  every  day. 

If  Zacheus,  mentioned  in  the  Gospel,  was  sancti- 
fied because  Our  Lord  was  pleased  once  to  be  his 
Guest,  how  exalted  must  be  the  holiness  of  Joseph 
who  dwelt  under  the  same  roof  with  Jesus  for 
thirty  years;  who  watched  the  Child  with  more 
than  paternal  fondness,  as  He  '^advanced  in  grace 
and  wisdom  and  years  before  God  and  men'* ;  who 
looked  on  while  the  Infant  was  developing  into 
childhood;  the  Child  into  Boyhood;  and  the  Boy 
into  Manhood. 

We  know  from  the  Gospel  that  virtue  went  out 
from  Jesus  to  heal  the  multitudes.  As  a  delicious 
flower  exhales  sweet  odors,  so  did  the  body  of 
Jesus  exhale  the  sweet  odor  of  virtue.  The  woman 
in  the  Gospel  was  cured  of  her  infirmity  by  the 
very  touch  of  the  hem  of  His  garment.  How  pure 
then  in  body  and  soul  must  Joseph  have  been,  who 
so  often  nursed  the  Infant  Child,  caressed  Him  in 
his  arms,  and  pressed  the  Divine  Countenance  to 
his  lips ! 

If  our  Divine  Saviour  tells  us  that  even  a  cup  of 
cold  water  given  in  His  Name  to  a  stranger,  will 
have  its  reward,  what  recompense  will  He  consider 
too  great  for  Joseph  who  supported  Our  Saviour 


ST.  JOSEPH'S,  BALTIMOEE  161 

Himself  by  the  labor  of  his  hands  and  the  sweat 
of  his  brow. 

St.  Luke  informs  us  that  when  two  of  the  dis- 
ciples of  our  Lord  were  going  to  Emmaus  after 
the  Resurrection,  Jesus  appeared  to  them  and  con- 
versed with  them  for  sometime  without  making 
Himself  known  to  them.  After  He  had  eaten 
with  them,  He  vanished  from  their  sight.  Then 
they  said  to  each  other,  ''Was  not  our  heart 
burning  within  us  while  He  was  speaking  on  the 
way,  and  opened  to  us  the  Scriptures  T'  If  the 
hearts  of  these  two  disciples  were  warmed  with 
the  love  of  God,  after  having  held  that  short  con- 
versation with  Our  Lord  and  enjoying  His  blessed 
company  at  one  meal,  must  not  the  heart  of  Joseph 
been  inflamed  with  more  than  a  seraph's  love, 
when  we  remember  the  many  days  and  nights  they 
sat,  ate  and  conversed  together  beneath  the  same 
roof.  How  many  draughts  of  divine  love  did  not 
the  holy  Patriarch  drink  in,  while  he  listened  day 
by  day  to  the  words  of  heavenly  wisdom  which  fell 
from  the  lips  of  his  adopted  Child.  If  the  words 
of  Jesus  read  in  the  Gospel  have  so  much  efficacy, 
how  much  greater  was  their  influence  coming  fresh 
from  the  lips  of  the  oracle  of  truth!  Learn  like 
St.  Joseph,  to  listen  with  docility  to  Jesus  whether 
He  speaks  to  you  by  private  inspiration,  in  a  book, 
or  in  a  sermon,  and  like  Joseph  you  will  soon  find 
the  spark  of  charity  kindled  in  your  breast. 


162        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

'Companion  of  Maky. 

St.  Joseph  was  the  daily  companion  not  only  of 
Jesus,  but  also  of  Mary.  Many  of  you  know  from 
experience  the  elevating  and  sanctifying  influence 
of  a  wife 's  example.  You  have  felt  how  she  imper- 
ceptibly forms  and  moulds  you  into  better  and 
holier  men.  If  such  is  the  ascendency  of  an  ordi- 
nary wife,  what  effect  must  Mary's  silent  but  elo- 
quent example  have  exercised  on  the  susceptible 
and  pious  mind  of  Joseph.  You  esteem  it  a  favor 
to  be  called  the  clients  and  servants  of  Mary.  It 
is  the  highest  ambition  of  your  daughters  to  be 
enrolled  among  the  Children  of  Mary.  Imagine 
then  the  dignity  of  Joseph  in  being  chosen  above 
all  others  to  be  the  chaste  spouse  of  Mary,  the 
conjugal  partner  of  her  joys  and  sorrows.  You 
recognize  the  privilege  conferred  on  St.  John  when 
you  hear  Our  Saviour  say  to  him  from  the  Cross : 
*^'Son,  behold  thy  Mother."  But  if  it  was  a  great 
honor  to  John  to  be  appointed  by  our  Lord  the 
Protector  of  His  Mother  in  her  declining  years, 
how  much  more  glorious  was  the  prerogative  of 
Joseph  who  was  constituted  the  chaste  Guardian 
of  her  more  youthful  days ! 

Truly  does  Joseph  deserve  to  be  called  '^that 
faithful  and  prudent  servant  whom  the  Lord 
placed  over  His  family.''  The  most  eminent  qual- 
ities that  can  distinguish  ^  guardian  are :    1.  Obe- 


ST.  JOSEPH'S;  BALTIMORE  163 

dience  to  the  instructions  of  the  master  that  em- 
ploys him.  2.  Solicitude  for  those  placed  under 
his  charge.  3.  Wisdom  and  discretion  in  govern- 
ing them. 

Such  are  the  three  qualities  which  characterized 
St.  Joseph  in  his  government  of  the  Holy  Family, 
as  we  find  from  the  Gospel. 

1.  Joseph  has  left  us  a  striking  instance  of  his 
prompt  obedience  to  his  divine  Master,  under  the 
most  trying  circumstances.  King  Herod  issues  a 
decree  commanding  all  the  children  of  Israel  under 
two  years  of  age  to  be  put  to  death,  intending 
thereby  to  involve  the  Infant  Saviour  in  the  com- 
mon slaughter  of  the  Innocents.  God  appears  to 
Joseph  at  the  dead  of  night;  commands  him  to 
leave  his  home  at  once,  and  set  out  for  Egypt, 
with  Mary  and  the  Infant  Jesus.  The  simple- 
hearted  Patriarch  obeys  without  a  moment's  hesi- 
tation. He  does  not  plead  as  an  excuse,  the  unsea- 
sonable hour  of  the  night,  or  the  unpropitious  sea- 
son of  the  year.  He  does  not  say:  How  can  I 
venture  on  such  a  long  journey  with  scant  means ! 
How  can  my  tender  spouse,  or  still  more  tender 
child  bear  the  hardships  of  travel?  How  can  I 
enter  into  a  country  to  which  I  am  a  stranger  by 
birth,  a  stranger  in  language  and  in  religion? 

The  obedience  of  Joseph  can  only  be  compared 
to  that  of  Abraham,  to  which,  in  many  of  its  cir- 
cumstances, it  bears  a  striking  resemblance.    God 


164        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

appears  to  Abraliam  and  commands  him  to  sacri- 
fice his  only  son  Isaac.  The  Patriarch  without 
hesitation  proceeds  to  fulfil  the  divine  command, 
till  the  uplifted  sword  is  arrested  by  the  hand  of 
an  angel.  Like  Abraham  who  went  to  sacrifice  his 
son  on  the  Mountain  of  Vision,  Joseph  is  ready  to 
sacrifice  his  comforts  and  his  life  on  the  altar  of 
obedience. 

God  calls  every  one  of  us,  as  He  called  Joseph, 
to  a  trial  of  obedience.  He  gives  every  one  of  us 
a  mission  to  fulfil.  No  matter  then  how  difficult 
may  be  the  task  assigned  to  us;  no  matter  how 
rugged  the  journey  of  life  before  us;  no  matter 
how  dark  and  threatening  the  clouds  that  over- 
hang our  path,  let  us  go  forth  with  confidence, 
having  Joseph's  example  before  our  eyes.  When 
the  voice  of  duty  or  obedience  speaks  to  us,  let 
us  fear  nothing ;  for,  God  Who  calls  us,  will  bring 
light  out  of  darkness;  joy  out  of  sorrow;  he  will 
make  the  rough  ways  smooth.  ^'Though  we  sow 
in  tears,  we  shall  reap  in  joy." 

2.  We  may  form  some  conception  of  the  love  and 
solicitude  of  Joseph  for  his  adopted  Son  by  the 
sorrow  he  experienced  when  he  missed  the  Child 
Jesus  returning  from  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem  to 
Nazareth. 

For,  the  affection  he  had  for  his  heavenly  Ward 
was  measured  by  the  anguish  he  endured  when  the 
Child  was  separated  from  him.    As  soon  as  the 


ST.  JOSEPH'S,  BALTIMORE  165 

parents  of  Jesus  discover  that  He  is  not  in  tlie 
company  of  the  pious  pilgrims,  they  instantly  re- 
trace their  steps,  and  having  at  length  found  Him, 
they  give  vent  to  their  sorrow  in  these  words  of 
tender  complaint  which  Mary  addressed  to  Jesus : 
**Son,  why  hast  Thou  done  so  to  us?  Behold  Thy 
father  and  I  have  sought  Thee  sorrowing/^ 

3.  There  is  one  little  fact  mentioned  in  the 
Gospel  which  places  Joseph  on  a  pinnacle  of 
sanctity  which  was,  perhaps,  never  attained  by 
any  human  being,  if  we  except  Mary,  his  Immac- 
ulate Spouse.  Our  Blessed  Lord,  as  you  know, 
though  clothed  in  human  flesh,  was  not  only  man, 
but  also  God.  His  will  was,  therefore,  in  perfect 
conformity  with  the  will  of  His  heavenly  Father. 
Jesus  could  do  nothing,  say  nothing,  think  nothing, 
but  what  was  in  accordance  with  His  Father's 
wishes.  Now  what  does  the  Gospel  tell  us?  It 
expressly  declares  that  Jesus  was  subject  to  Mary 
and  Joseph.  '  ^He  went  down  to  Nazareth  and  was 
subject  to  them.''  He  obeyed  them  as  a  dutiful 
child  obeys  his  father.  He  was  attentive  to  all 
their  behests.  He  submitted  to  every  duty  which 
they  imposed  on  Him.  He  satisfied  their  every  de- 
sire. What  conclusion  must  we  draw  from  this 
consideration?  The  necessary  conclusion  is  that 
Joseph  was  a  man  of  unparalleled  sanctity:  that 
all  his  admonitions  were  stamped  with  the  seal  of 
divine  approbation.     In  a  word,  that  he  never 


166        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  PIFTY  YEAES 

sinned  in  commanding  since  Jesus  could  not  sin 
in  obeying.  Do  we  not  see  that  the  voice  of  Joseph 
was  the  echo  of  the  voice  of  God  since  the  Divine 
Son  fulfilled  no  precept  of  the  earthly  parent 
which  was  not  approved  by  the  Eternal  Father  in 
Heaven  ? 

Yes,  0  holy  Patriarch,  thou  art  elevated  not  only 
above  men,  but  even  above  the  angelic  choirs.  For 
to  which  of  the  angels,  or  archangels,  or  principal- 
ities or  powers  did  God  give  authority  over  His 
Son?  To  none.  They  all  minister  to  Him  and  in 
His  presence  they  stand  in  awe.  Truly  then,  0 
privileged  Saint,  may  we  apply  to  thee  those  words 
of  Holy  Scripture:  ''No  one  was  found  like  to 
thee  who  hast  kept  the  law  of  the  Most  High.'' 

On  this  day  which  is  dedicated  to  the  Patronage 
of  St.  Joseph,  invoke  the  intercession,  ask  the  pro- 
tection of  your  great  Patron  for  yourselves  and 
for  your  families. 

Joseph  can  hear  your  prayers ;  he  can  assist  you, 
and  he  is  most  willing  to  aid  you. 

Our  knowledge  is  very  limited.  We  see  with  our 
eyes,  we  hear  with  our  ears.  But  the  Saints  in 
Heaven  see  all  things  in  God  as  in  a  mirror. 
*' There  shall  be  joy  in  Heaven,  among  the  blessed, 
upon  one  sinner  doing  penance."  How  could  the 
Blessed  rejoice  in  the  conversion  of  a  sinner,  un- 
less they  know  what  he  does,  what  he  says  and 
what  he  thinks;  for,  conversion  is  the  work  of 


ST.  JOSEPH'S,  BALTDIOKE  167 

the  heart.  And  if,  my  Brethren,  the  humblest  in- 
habitant of  Heaven  standing  at  the  foot  of  God's 
Throne  is  not  ignorant  of  our  condition,  how  inti- 
mate must  be  Joseph's  knowledge  of  our  wants, 
who,  while  on  earth,  was  intrusted  with  the  secrets 
of  the  Incarnate  Word. 

The  Saints  can  aid  us  by  their  prayers,  and 
therefore  Joseph  can.  We  read  in  the  Scriptures 
that  when  the  children  of  Israel  were  contending 
against  the  enemies  of  God's  people,  while  Josue 
fought  in  the  valley,  Moses  prayed  on  the  moun- 
tain, and  Moses  did  more  by  his  silent  prayer  than 
Josue  did  with  his  sword.  If  the  intercession  of 
Moses  was  so  efficacious  against  the  visible  enemies 
of  God's  people,  how  much  more  powerful  will  be 
the  prayer  of  Joseph  against  our  invisible  foes; 
if  Mosies  on  the  earthly  mountain  had  so  much  in- 
fluence, how  much  greater  is  that  of  Joseph  on 
the  Mountain  of  God  in  Heaven.  If  Moses  the 
servant  had  so  much  power,  how  much  greater  is 
that  of  the  Foster-father,  Protector  and  Guard- 
ian of  our  Divine  Lord.  Jesus,  in  ascending  to 
Heaven,  has  not  forgotten  his  earthly  protector. 
In  that  blessed  abode  He  still  retains  His  Human- 
ity as  well  as  His  Divinity,  His  early  love,  grati- 
tude and  filial  obedience.  As  He  loved  and  obeyed 
Joseph  on  earth.  He  still  loves  and  listens  to  him 
in  Heaven. 

And,  my  brethren,  need  I  tell  you  that  Joseph 


168         A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

loves  to  serve  you?  ''Will  a  father  forget  Ms 
children,  or  a  mother  the  fruit  of  her  womb?'* 
Even  so,  Joseph  will  not  forget  you.  He  loves 
you  as  tenderly  as  the  Patriarch  Joseph,  the  son 
of  Jacob,  loved  his  brethren.  And  as  the  Patriarch 
Joseph  embraced  his  brothers  in  the  land  of  Egypt 
and  satisfied  their  wants,  so  will  the  second  Joseph 
embrace  you  and  fill  you  with  good  things.  You 
are  his  brethren;  you  are  his  Benjamins  for  you 
are  the  last  born  family  of  God. 

Pray  then  to  Joseph  to  obtain  for  you:  1.  An 
increase  of  divine  favors ;  or  if  you  have  lost  grace 
by  sin,  ask  for  a  return  of  His  divine  gifts.  Our 
Lord  was  carried  off  from  His  home  in  Nazareth 
to  escape  the  vengeance  of  Herod ;  and  it  was  only 
at  the  death  of  that  impious  prince  that  He  was 
restored  to  His  home  by  St.  Joseph,  and  peace 
reigned  in  the  land. 

Perhaps  some  tyrant  passion  more  hateful  to 
Our  Lord  than  Herod  was,  has  forced  Him  to  de- 
part from  our  soul  which  He  would  wish  to  make 
his  true  habitation.  Perhaps  the  kingdom  within 
us  is  now  desolate  without  Him.  Let  us  remember 
that  while  Herod  rules  over  us,  Christ  will  not 
return.  We  should  then  dethrone  this  monster 
r.nd  invite  our  true  King  to  rule  over  us,  invoking 
the  aid  of  Joseph  to  help  us  in  dethroning  the 
one  and  enthroning  the  other ;  thus  bringing  Jesus 
back  to  our  hearts,  as  he  brought  Him  back  to 


ST.  JOSEPH'S,  BALTIMORE  169 

Nazareth.     Then  we  shall  enjoy  the  empire  of 
peace. 

2.  Pray  for  a  happy  death.  *'A11  is  well  that 
ends  well.^'  Joseph  is  the  Patron  of  a  happy 
death.  He  died  in  the  arms  of  Jesus.  Pray  that 
the  Spirit  of  Our  Lord  may  be  with  you  at  that 
critical  moment  which  will  decide  your  eternal 
destiny.  The  best  prayer  I  can  offer  for  you  is 
this:  *^May  your  soul  die  the  death  of  the  just 
man  (Joseph)  and  may  your  last  end  be  like  unto 
his.'^ 


APOSTOLIC  MISSION  OF 
IRISH  RACE 


ST.  PATRICK 
THE  APOSTOLIC  MISSION  OF  THE  IRISH  RACE  * 

"I  have  appointed  you  that  you  should  go  and  bring  forth 
fruit;  and  that  your  fruit  should  remain."    St.  John  xv.  16. 

T  used  to  be  a  time  honored  practice  of  the 
American  people  np  to  a  half  century  ago  in 
many  parts  of  the  country,  to  have  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence  read  before  them  on  the 
Fourth  of  July,  in  order  that  the  spirit  of  patriot- 
ism might  be  stirred  up  in  their  breasts,  and  that 
they  might  have  a  deeper  love  and  reverence  for 
their  free  institutions  which  were  purchased  for 
them  by  the  wisdom  and  heroism  of  their 
ancestors. 

I  hope  that  the  gradual  decay  of  this  laudable 
custom  has  not  diminished  in  the  hearts  of  our 
countrymen  their  veneration  for  this  immortal 
proclamation  of  political  faith. 

So  do  you,  my  Brethren,  annually  meet,  as  you 
do  today,  in  the  house  of  God  to  revive  in  your 

*  Preached  in  St.  Patrick's  Church,  Baltimore,  March  17, 1871 

170 


MISSION  OF  lEISH  lUCE  171 

hearts  the  love  of  religion  and  of  fatherland,  by 
celebrating  the  praises  of  the  illustrious  Saint 
through  whose  labors  your  ancestors  passed  from 
idolatry  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God,  from  bar- 
barism to  civilization,  and  from  the  state  of  spir- 
itual bondage  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God. 

On  this  hallowed  day,  wherever  an  Irishman  is 
to  be  found  (and  where  is  he  not  found),  he 
can  truly  say  in  the  language  of  the  Mantuan 
poet:  ^'Quaenam  regio  in  terris  nostri  non  plena 
lahorisf'  (AYhat  land  on  earth  has  not  reaped 
the  fruit  of  our  labors!)— wherever  he  is,  whether 
under  the  burning  sun  of  the  tropics,  or  amid  the 
snows  of  the  Artie  regions,  whether  in  the  wilds 
of  Australia,  or  in  the  forests  of  America,  on  the 
shores  of  the  Atlantic  or  the  Pacific— on  this  day 
he  thinks  of  '^Auld  Lang  Syne.''  To  his  native 
land  he  says  with  heartfelt  emotion : 

"Where  e'er  I  roam,  whatever  lands  I  see, 
My  heart  still  fondly  turns  to  thee." 

Like  the  children  of  Israel  exiled  from  their 
native  home,  Jerusalem,  as  they  sat  by  the  rivers 
of  Babylon,  and  wept  when  they  remembered  Sion, 
so  do  you  revisit-  in  spirit  today  the  land  of  your 
childhood,  the  home  of  your  fathers.  You  walk 
through  the  daisied  fields  of  your  native  soil.    Or 


172        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

perhaps  you  tread  with  reverent  footsteps  the 
venerable  graveyard ;  you  stand  by  the  cross  which 
marks  the  spot  where  lie  the  remains  of  your 
father  and  mother,  while  you  shed  tears  of  grati- 
tude to  their  memory,  and  offer  a  prayer  for  their 
immortal  spirits. 

St.  Patrick  was  born  in  Scotland,  as  is  now 
generally  believed,  though  Gaul  also  claims  the 
honor  of  having  given  birth  to  your  Apostle.  His 
early  life  like  that  of  many  other  distinguished 
men  is  more  or  less  clouded  in  obscurity. 

Twice  during  his  youthful  years  he  was  reduced 
to  servitude  in  Ireland.  Having  escaped  from  his 
Pagan  master,  he  was  inspired  by  a  special  visita- 
tion of  divine  grace  to  consecrate  himself  to  the 
sacred  ministry.  He  afterwards  visited  Gaul  and 
Italy,  and  received  episcopal  consecration  from 
the  hands  of  Saint  Maximus,  Bishop  of  Turin. 
He  was  commissioned  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the 
Irish  by  Pope  St.  Celestine  who  then  governed  the 
universal  Church.  His  labors,  as  every  one  knows, 
were  crowned  with  almost  unprecedented  success. 

II. 

The  conversion  of  Ireland  is  marked  by  four 
characteristics  which  have  scarcely  a  parallel  in 
the  whole  range  of  ecclesiastical  history.    The  con- 


MISSION  OF  IRISH  EA.CE  173 

version  of  tlie  people  was  sudden.  It  was  affected 
ivithout  bloodshed.  It  has  been  productive  of  the 
fnost  abundant  fruits.  The  spark  of  faith,  once 
planted  in  their  hearts,  has  never  been  extin- 
guished. 

Never  did  any  Apostle  more  literally  fulfil  the 
commands  of  our  Saviour:  ''I  have  appointed 
you  that  you  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit,  and 
that  your  fruit  should  remain.'' 

Like  Caesar,  he  could  say:  '*I  came,  I  saw,  I 
conquered."  But  more  favored  than  Caesar,  the 
fruit  of  Patrick's  victory  still  remains.  There  is 
no  one  now  to  reverence  Caesar's  name,  while  mil- 
lions of  Patrick's  children  rise  up  today  and  call 
him  blessed. 

No  people  were  ever  converted  with  greater 
rapidity  than  the  Irish  race.  I  shall  not  stop  here 
to  ask  whether  their  prompt  acceptance  of  the 
Gospel  was  due  to  the  extraordinary  zeal  of  the 
preacher,  or  to  the  pliant  and  receptive  disposi- 
tion of  the  hearers.  I  am  convinced  that  both 
causes  concurred  in  producing  the  harvest  of  souls. 
The  seed  was  good  and  it  fell  on  rich  soil.  St. 
Patrick  succeeded,  in  the  early  days  of  his  min- 
istry, in  converting  several  of  the  kings  of  the 
different  septs,  and  their  example  exerted  a  salu- 
tary influence  on  the  people,  and  tended  strongly 
to  facilitate  their  entrance  into  the  fold  of  Christ. 


174        A  RETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 


III. 


The  conversion  of  Ireland  was  affected  with- 
out bloodshed.  The  Apostles  of  other  nations  had 
to  seal  the  Gospel  with  their  blood  before  it  bore 
fruit  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  **The  blood  of 
martyrs  was  the  seed  of  Christians. ' '  The  pioneer 
missionaries  of  America  and  of  China,  as  well  as 
the  first  Apostles  of  Continental  Europe,  gener- 
ally sacrificed  their  lives  in  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity before  their  labors  were  crowned  with 
success. 

But  to  the  honor  of  Ireland  be  it  said  that  her 
children  were  never  stained  with  the  blood  of 
martyrs.  St.  Patrick  gained  over  them  a  bloodless 
as  well  as  a  rapid  victory. 

This  was  a  happy  period  of  the  nation's  exist- 
ence when,  like  Adam  fresh  from  the  hands  of 
his  Creator,  the  people  just  emerged  from  the  dark 
night  of  Paganism  to  the  admirable  light  of  the 
Gospel.  They  all  believed  the  same  truths,  wor- 
shipped at  the  same  altar.  Their  songs  of  praise 
to  God  went  forth  from  one  end  of  the  Island 
to  the  other.  Charity  overspread  the  land.  Ee- 
ligious  bigotry — that  bane  of  society  —  was  un- 
known. The  foot  of  the  invader  had  not  yet 
oppressed  their  soil ;  the  apple  of  discord  had  not 
been  thrown  among  them  to  divide  their  counsels 
and  array  them  against  each  other. 


.  MISSION  OF  IRISH  RACE  175 

rv. 

The  conversion  of  the  nation  bore  abundant 
fruit.  So  numerous  and  so  flourishing  were  the 
religious  institutions  which  sprang  up  on  the 
Island  that  it  has  been  justly  called  ^Hhe  Island 
of  Saints"  {Insula  Sanctorum),  The  venerable 
monuments  scattered  over  the  country,  and  im- 
posing even  in  their  ruins,  attest  the  splendor  of 
her  ancient  churches  and  monasteries. 

Ireland  deserves  also  the  title  of  Island  of 
*  learned  men",  (Insula  Doctorum).  During  the 
Fifth,  Sixth,  Seventh  and  Eighth  Centuries, 
Europe  was  devastated  by  hordes  of  barbarians 
who  rushed  like  a  torrent  from  the  north,  carrying 
with  them  ruin  and  devastation  everywhere.  The 
Goths  and  Vandals  invaded  Italy.  The  Saracens 
overran  Spain.  The  Anglo-Saxons  took  posses- 
sion of  England,  routing  the  native  Britons. 

During  these  disorders  and  revolutions,  litera- 
ture was  abandoned  and  religion  was  more  or  less 
neglected,  for  *^  during  war  laws  and  letters  are 
silent. '  ^ 

Meantime  Ireland  was  in  the  enjoyment  of  com- 
parative peace  and  devoted  herself  to  the  pursuits 
of  science.  While  the  sons  of  Europe  and  Britain 
buckled  on  the  sword,  the  sons  of  Ireland  were 
wielding  *Hhe  pen  which  is  mightier  than  the 


176        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

sword/'  The  consequence  was  that  a  multitude  of 
young  men  flocked  from  the  continent  and  England 
to  Ireland,  to  pursue  in  peace  the  paths  of  litera- 
ture which  were  closed  to  them  in  their  own  coun- 
tries. 

The  Venerable  Bede  informs  us  that  poor  schol- 
ars were  not  only  educated  gratuitously  in  Ireland, 
but  that  they  were  also  supplied  with  books  and 
board,  free  of  all  expense.  Indeed  a  temporary 
residence  in  Ireland  was  then  considered  almost 
indispensable  to  acquire  literary  fame. 

But  Irish  saints  and  scholars  were  not  content 
with  fanning  the  flame  of  religion  and  knowledge 
in  their  own  country,  they  also  carried  the  torch 
of  faith  and  science  to  the  most  distant  parts  of 
Europe.  Irish  missionaries  could  be  found  on  the 
banks  of  the  Danube  and  in  the  Apennines.  They 
spread  the  Gospel  in  Denmark,  Sweden,  Norway, 
Gaul,  Switzerland,  the  Low  Countries,  and  even  in 
Britain. 

And  is  not  Ireland  repeating  today  for  the 
United  States  what  she  has  already  accomplished 
for  Europe?  Is  not  this  country  chiefly  indebted 
to  her  for  its  faith?  There  are  few  churches 
erected  from  Maine  to  California,  from  Canada  to 
Mexico  which  Irish  hands  have  not  helped  to  build, 
which  Irish  purses  have  not  supported,  and  in 
which  Irish  hearts  are  not  found  worshipping. 


MISSION  OF  IRISH  EACE  177 

She  contributes  not  only  to  the  materiel  but  also 
to  the  personnel  of  the  Church  in  this  country.  A 
large  proportion  of  our  Bishops  and  clergy  are  of 
Irish  origin  or  descent. 

Children  of  Erin,  whatever  may  be  said  of  Irish 
misrule  which  has  led  to  so  much  forced  emigra- 
tion, adore  in  silence  the  mysterious  providence  of 
God  who  has  been  pleased  to  make  you  the  instru- 
ments of  His  mercy  in  the  propagation  of  the  Gos- 
pel throughout  the  land !  Say  with  Joseph  ban- 
ished to  Egypt:  *^It  is  not  by  the  counsel  of  men 
that  we  are  sent  hither,  but  by  the  will  of  God 
Who  hath  made  us,''  His  humble  agents  in  the 
salvation  of  souls. 

God  so  directs  human  events  as  to  make  even  our 
calamities  and  humiliations  stepping-stones  to  our 
future  elevation.  Had  the  Trojan  war  never 
occurred  and  had  the  inhabitants  of  Troy 
remained  in  peaceful  possessison  of  their  native 
soil  from  which  they  were  expelled,  they  would 
never  with  ^neas  at  their  head,  have  taken  a 
leading  part  in  founding  the  Eoman  Empire. 

In  like  manner,  if  the  people  of  Ireland  had  not 
been  the  victims  of  long  misrule,  and  if  they  had 
not  suffered  from  dire  poverty  at  home,  they 
would  not  have  contributed  so  effectually  to  the 
establishment  and  prosperity  of  the  greatest 
Eepublic  in  the  world.    Her  sons  and  daughters 


178        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

would  not  be  as  tliey  are  today  the  providential 
agents  in  the  development  of  the  Republic,  in  this 
hemisphere,  and  in  upbuilding  the  walls  of  Sion. 

How  applicable  to  the  Irish  race  are  these 
words  which  Tobias  addressed  to  his  Hebrew 
countrymen  exiled  in  Nineveh:  *'Give  glory  to 
the  Lord,  ye  children  of  Israel,  and  praise  Him  in 
the  sight  of  the  Gentiles.  Because  He  has  there- 
fore scattered  you  among  the  Gentiles  who  know 
Him  not,  that  you  may  declare  His  wonderful 
works,  and  make  them  know  that  there  is  no  other 
Almighty  God  besides  Him/' 

If  you  are  denied  the  privilege  of  placing  the 
harp — your  national  emblem — over  the  garrisons 
and  public  buildings  of  your  fair  land,  to  you  is 
assigned  among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  the 
higher  honor  of  planting  the  cross,  the  banner  of 
salvation,  in  many  countries  throughout  the  globe. 

To  whom  then  can  I  apply  with  more  propriety 
than  to  you  those  words  of  St.  Peter :  *' You  are  a 
chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy 
nation,  a  purchased  people,  that  you  may  declare 
His  virtues  Who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness 
to  His  admirable  light.'' 

And  may  I  not  say  in  a  literal  sense  what  St. 
Paul  in  a  qualified  sense  affirmed  of  the  Eomans : 
**I  give  thanks  to  my  God  through  Jesus  Christ, 
that  your  faith  is  spoken  of  in  the  whole  world." 


MISSION  OF  IRISH  RACE  179 

V. 

But  what  is  to  the  immortal  credit  of  Ireland,  the 
faith  once  established,  took  such  deep  root  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  that  it  never  could  be 
uprooted,  but  continues  as  fresh  and  green  as  the 
hills  of  their  own  Emerald  Isle. 

*  ^  Alone '^,  says  Lord  Macauley,  the  English  his- 
torian, ^' among  the  Northern  nations,  the  Irish 
adhered  to  the  ancient  Church.'^ 

The  great  religious  Eevolution  of  the  Sixteenth 
Century  swept  like  a  torrent  over  Northern 
Europe,  drawing  several  nations  into  the  vortex 
of  total  or  partial  apostacy  from  the  faith,  and  car- 
rying spiritual  desolation  to  millions  of  souls. 
More  than  half  of  Germany  followed  the  new 
teachings  of  Luther  and  his  disciples.  Switzerland 
yielded  to  the  doctrines  of  Zwinglius.  The  faith 
of  Sweden  was  lost  through  the  unsparing  sword 
of  her  King,  Gustavus  Vasa.  Denmark  exchanged 
the  old  for  the  new  religion  through  the  intrigues 
of  King  Christian  11.  Catholicity  was  crushed  in 
Norway  and  Iceland.  Henry  VIII  succeeded  in 
establishing  the  new  Gospel  in  England,  while 
John  Knox  was  the  standard-bearer  of  heresy  in 
Scotland.  Calvinism  had  gained  such  a  foothold 
in  France  that  the  faith  of  that  Catholic  nation 
trembled  in  the  balance. 

How  did  Ireland  fare  all  this  time? 


180         A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

''Oft  doomed  to  death,  tliougli  fated  not  to  die.'' 
Though  tried  as  no  other  nation  was  tried  before, 
she  passed  through  the  terrible  ordeal,  like  the 
three  children  in  the  fiery  furnace,  with  the  gar- 
ment of  faith  as  pure  and  unsullied  as  when  she 
was  enrobed  with  it  on  the  day  of  her  baptism. 

And  yet  in  no  other  nation  was  persecution 
more  violent  and  more  protracted  than  in  Ireland. 
For  three  hundred  years  she  had  to  resist  the 
oppression  of  the  most  powerful  nation  on  the  face 
of  the  earth. 

I  shall  not  occupy  your  time  nor  harrow  your 
feelings  by  giving  you  a  detailed  account  of  the 
religious  persecutions  your  country  suffered  dur- 
ing the  last  three  centuries.  I  shall  content  myself 
with  a  passing  review  of  the  trials  she  endured 
during  the  Cromwellian  invasion  of  the  Seven- 
teenth Century.  The  few  facts  I  shall  present  are 
quoted  exclusively  from  English  writers  who  are 
above  the  suspicion  of  partiality. 

The  policy  of  Cromwell  whose  name  was  the 
incarnation  of  all  that  was  heartless  and  cruel, 
was  to  depopulate  Ireland  of  its  Catholic  race, 
and  to  colonize  it  with  a  people  of  a  different  coun- 
try and  religion.  Forty  thousand  brave  officers 
and  men,  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  land,  were 
compelled  to  seek  refuge  in  France,  in  Spain, 
Austria,  and  the  Eepublic  of  Venice,  where  they 


MISSION  OF  lEISH  RACE  181 

fouglit  with  proverbial  valor  in  defense  of  their 
adopted  countries,  and  where  some  of  their 
descendants  are  to  this  day  holding  the  highest 
posts  of  distinction.  At  a  subsequent  period  when 
England  and  France  were  contending  in  battle  at 
Fontenoy,  and  when  Irish  valor  at  a  critical  mo- 
ment turned  the  scales  of  victory  on  the  side  of 
France,  George  II  is  reported  to  have  exclaimed : 
**  Cursed  be  those  laws  which  have  robbed  me  of 
such  subjects."  *  Sixty  thousand  women  and  chil- 
dren were  driven  to  the  seashore,  packed  in  ships 
and  sent  to  the  "West  Indies  and  the  American 
Colonies.  Cromwell  in  the  meantime  in^dted  the 
Puritans  of  New  England  to  settle  in  Ireland,  an 
offer  which  they  declined  to  accept. 

The  large  landed  proprietors  that  remained  at 
home  were  deprived  of  their  possessions,  and  many 
of  them  put  to  death.  No  member  of  the  pro- 
scribed religion  was  permitted  to  live  in  any  town 
or  garrison.  They  were  forbidden  under  penalty 
of  high  treason  to  assemble  in  greater  numbers 
than  four.  They  were  not  allowed  to  carry  or  to 
possess  arms.  If  they  crossed  the  prescribed  lim- 
its, they  were  liable  to  be  shot  without  process  of 
law. 

Education  was  denied  them  unless  attended  with 
loss  of  faith.    Insult  was  added  to  injury.    The 

*  Bruodin  estimates  the  number  at  100,000. 


182         A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

people  were  robbed  of  their  possessions,  and  tben 
taunted  for  their  poverty.  They  were  deprived  of 
the  facility  of  education,  and  then  insulted  for 
their  want  of  learning.  They  were  forbidden  to 
carry  arms,  and  then  charged  with  disloyalty. 

The  clergy  of  Ireland  met  with  a  much  worse 
fate  than  the  laity.  If  the  people  were  beaten  with 
rods,  the  clergy  were  scourged  with  scorpions. 
They  were  ordered  to  quit  the  country  within 
twenty  days  under  pain  of  death.  Candidates  for 
the  priesthood  were  obliged  to  pursue  their  studies 
in  foreign  seminaries.  Archbishop  McHale,  con- 
secrated in  1825,  was  the  first  Prelate  since  the 
Eeformation  who  received  all  his  education  in  his 
native  land.  Any  clergyman  that  dared  to  return 
to  Ireland  forfeited  his  life.  Whoever  harbored 
a  priest,  suffered  death,  and  whoever  knew  his 
hiding  place  and  did  not  reveal  it,  had  both  his  ears 
cut  off. 

Oh !  how  well  doth  the  description  given  by  St. 
Paul  of  the  Saints  of  the  Old  Law,  apply  to  those 
Irish  Confessors  of  the  faith :  ^^They  were  racked, 
not  accepting  deliverance,  that  they  might  find  a 
better  resurrection.  They  were  stoned,  they  were 
cut  asunder.  They  were  tempted.  They  were  put 
to  death  by  the  sword.  They  wandered  about,  being 
in  want,  distressed,  afflicted,  wandering  in  deserts, 
in  mountains  and  in  the  caves  of  the  earth." 


MISSION  OF  lEISH  RACE  183 

And  3' et,  although  the  monasteries  and  religious 
houses  of  Ireland  were  leveled  to  the  ground,  to  the 
number,  it  is  estimated,  of  six  hundred,  though  the 
churches  were  destroyed  or  sequestered  for  Prot- 
estant  worship;    though   every   inducement   was 
offered  to  attend  the  dominant  church,  and  every 
penalty  which  ingenuity  and  malice  could  invent 
was  inflicted  on  those  who  attended  Catholic  serv- 
ices;   notwithstanding    fines,    imprisonment    and 
death,  England  could  not  succeed  in  uprooting 
from  the  Irish  heart  his  love  for  his  religion  and 
the  sacred  traditions  of  his  country.     Like  the 
sturdy  oak,  the  more  it  is  exposed  to  the  winds  and 
storms  the  more  firmly  it  is  embedded  in  the 
ground;  so  was  the  national  faith  more  firmly 
planted  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  the  more  they 
were    assailed    by    the    storms    of    persecution. 
Eobbed  of  everything  else,  of  possessions,  of  lib- 
erty, of  life,  your  forefathers  clung  with  death-like 
tenacity  to  the  precious  jewel  of  faith,  clasping  it 
in  their  last  breath,  as  the  dying  soldier  embraces 
in  the  battlefield  the  image  of  his  mother  hanging 
about  his  neck. 

Eest  assured,  my  Brethren,  that  no  amount  of 
tyranny  can  rob  you  of  your  Christian  heritage  if 
70U  are  determined  to  preserve  it  from  the  assaults 
of  error. 


184        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

VI. 

After  the  long  nigtit  of  civil  and  religious  disa- 
bilities, privations  and  persecutions,  a  brighter  and 
happier  day,  thank  God,  has  dawned  on  your  native 
land. 

For  several  decades  of  years,  Ireland  has  been 
steadily  progressing  in  her  political,  economic  and 
religious  spheres  of  activity. 

English  and  Irish  statesmen  have  labored  suc- 
cessfully in  remedying  the  vicious  laws  inflicted 
on  the  nation  by  their  predecessors.  They  have 
been  gradually  removing  the  shackles  from  her 
feet.  They  have  given  heart  to  the  people  by 
obtaining  for  them  a  larger  measure  of  political 
freedom.  They  have  relieved  the  native  population 
of  the  intolerable  incubus  of  an  alien  church,  and 
have  eradicated  once  for  all,  the  gross  injustice 
under  which  they  had  chafed  for  centuries.  The 
righteous  indignation  felt  towards  their  former 
taskmasters  should  now  give  place  to  a  noble  sense 
of  gratitude  towards  the  present  rulers  and  legis- 
lators of  the  British  Empire. 

British  and  Irish  statesmen  have  almost  suc- 
ceeded in  making  the  Home  Eule  bill  an  accom- 
plished fact.  By  this  measure,  the  people  of  Ire- 
land will  be  at  liberty  to  develop  their  country's 
resources  by  prompt  domestic  legislation,  instead 


MISSION  OF  IRISH  RACE  185 

of  awaiting  tlie  tedious  and  irritating  process  of  a 
British  Act  of  Parliament. 

By  the  Land  Act,  the  Government  is  steadily 
and  peaceably  restoring  to  the  peasantry  the  own- 
ership of  their  native  soil  of  which  their  fathers 
had  been  violently  dispossessed.  The  tenants,  by  a 
bloodless  revolution,  are  being  quietly  transformed 
into  land-owners  on  terms  easy  to  be  fulfilled,  so 
that  now  they  can  truly  say;  *^This  is  our  own, 
our  native  land.'' 

This  new  proprietorship  inspires  them  with  an 
incentive  to  thrift  and  industry,  giving  them  a 
sense  of  security  and  contentment  unknown  before. 

I  cannot  recall  any  benevolent  legislation  which 
has  contributed  more  than  the  Land  Act  to  weld 
together  the  twin  sister  Isles  in  the  bonds  of  last- 
ing friendship  and  enlightened  co-operaiion. 

I  had  the  pleasure  within  the  last  few  months  of 
spending  some  weeks  in  Ireland  and  I  witnessed 
the  most  manifest  signs  of  religious  progress, 
especially  in  church  building.  I  saw  the  indom- 
itable priests  and  laity  erecting  schools,  convents 
and  houses  of  worship  alongside  of  the  ruined 
monuments  of  former  days,  just  as  the  people  of 
Israel  after  their  captivity,  rebuilt  the  new  Temple 
of  Jerusalem  on  the  ruins  of  the  old.  And  what  is 
still  more  gratifying,  these  structures  are  fully 
equal  in  dimensions  and  architectural  elegance  to 
the  most  stately  temples  of  Ireland's  best  days. 


186         A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

Thus  after  a  fierce  struggle  of  three  hundred 
years '  duration,  we  behold  Ireland  today  as  strong 
in  faith  as  she  ever  was,  and  worshipping  in  more 
imposing  churches  than  she  ever  enjoyed  before.     . 

The  history  of  your  country  is  inseparable  from 
her  Christianity ;  hence  you  cannot  be  true  to  your 
Fatherland  without  being  loyal  to  your  Eeligion. 
You  cannot  record  a  glorious  page  of  Irish  history 
without  recording  at  the  same  time  the  sufferings 
and  triumphs  of  the  Irish  Church. 

The  Catholic  religion  is  as  intimately  interwoven 
with  the  annals  of  Ireland  as  the  golden  threads 
which  are  interlaced  in  a  garment  of  cloth.  And 
as  the  fibres  of  the  gold  give  beauty  and  brilliancy 
to  the  tissue,  so  the  ecclesiastical  annals  of  Ireland 
intertwined  in  her  secular  history,  impart  to  it  a 
thrilling  interest  and  brighten  every  page. 

Tear  from  Irish  history  the  golden  annals  of  her 
religious  struggles,  her  fiery  persecutions,  her  tri- 
umphs of  faith — leave  these  out,  and  Irish  history 
becomes  a  thread-bare  narrative  without  interest, 
without  connection,  without  glory. 

Ireland  without  her  Church  and  her  priests 
would  be  like  Eome  without  St.  Peter's  majestic 
dome,  or  like  that  Basilica  itself  without  its 
Supreme  Pontiff. 

Ireland  without  the  Church  would  be  like  Jerusa- 
lem of  old  divested  of  her  sacred  Temple  and  her 
venerable    High    Priest.      Ireland    without    the 


MISSION  OF  IRISH  RACE  187 

Chiirch  would  be  like  her  own  desecrated  and 
ruined  monasteries,  stripped  of  her  ancient  glory, 
with  altars  dismantled,  shorn  of  their  interior 
beauty,  with  nothing  of  them  left  save  tottering 
walls  yielding  to  the  decaying  hand  of  time.  In 
a  word,  the  history  of  Ireland  without  her  sacred 
traditions  would  be  like  the  records  of  the  Jewish 
nation  with  their  religion  left  out.  The  Hebrew 
race  are  interesting  to  us  not  simply  because  they 
are  descended  from  Abraham,  or  because  they 
went  down  into  Egypt,  or  because  they  settled  in 
the  Promised  Land ;  but  because  they  alone  of  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  preserved  the  true  reli- 
gion, and  because  amid  all  their  faults,  they  still 
remembered  Sion. 

So  are  the  people  of  Ireland  interesting  to  us, 
because  in  every  vicissitude  they  ^'kept  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  Saints, '^  and  because  they 
displayed  an  indomitable  religious  heroism  worthy 
of  the  primitive  days  of  the  Church. 

Adhere  then  to  the  ancient  faith  and  to  her 
priests.  Follow  their  counsels.  They  are  your 
true  friends.  What  motive  can  they  have  in  mis- 
leading you?  Do  they  not  rejoice  in  your  spiritual 
and  temporal  welfare?  Is  not  your  happiness 
identified  with  theirs?  In  the  dreary  days  that 
have  passed,  the  clergy  were  tried  and  not  found 
wanting.  When  the  storm  of  persecution  swept 
over  the  Island,  when  the  fierce  passions  of  reli- 


188        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

gious  and  national  hate  were  let  loose  upon  the 
soil ;  when  ravenous  wolves  in  the  character  of  pur- 
suivants and  detectives  thirsted  for  the  blood  of 
your  ancestors,  who  was  a  more  devoted  friend 
to  them  than  the  priest  of  God?  He  was  always  in 
the  thick  of  the  battle. 

And  who  in  this  land  gives  you  more  wholesome 
advice  than  your  Pastor?  He  may  sometimes  say 
bitter  things  to  you.  But  better  is  the  rebuke  of  a 
friend  than  the  deceitful  flattery  of  an  enemy. 

Love  then  and  cherish  that  faith  which  the  min- 
isters of  God  preach  to  you  and  for  which  your 
fathers  suffered  and  laid  down  their  lives.  Imagine 
you  behold  your  martyred  sires  rising  from  their 
graves,  exhibiting  those  glorious  wounds  they 
received  for  God  and  country,  and  exhorting  you 
like  the  mother  of  the  Machabees  to  preserve  intact 
that  dear-bought  inheritance  of  the  Gospel  for 
which  they  died. 

Here,  thank  God,  you  are  free  to  worship  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  your  conscience.  But 
perhaps  in  this  very  security  lies  your  greatest 
danger.  For  security  begets  indifference,  and 
indifference  is  an  atmosphere  unhealthy  to  faith 
and  piety.  Hannibal  and  his  army  were  uncon- 
querable as  long  as  they  were  exposed  to  the  rigors 
of  winter,  and  had  the  enemy  before  them,  but  the 
delicious  climate  and  indolent  luxury  of  Capua 
proved  their  ruin. 


MISSION  OF  IKISH  EACE  189 

In  conclusion,  my  Brethren,  let  me  exhort  you  to 
exhibit  yourselves  always  as  upright  citizens.  The 
strength  and  security  of  this  great  Republic,  of 
this  State,  and  of  our  beautiful  city  depend  on  the 
moral  rectitude,  the  civic  virtues  and  the  enterpris- 
ing spirit  of  its  citizens.  Be  temperate  and  indus- 
trious ;  practise  piety  towards  God  and  good  will 
towards  men  of  every  creed  and  nationality.  While 
you  will  conscientiously  adhere  to  your  own  reli- 
gious principles,  you  will  be  forbearing  to  the 
opinions  of  others ;  and  while  you  will  show  forth 
a  sterling  loyalty  to  the  country  of  your  adoption, 
you  will  treasure  up  in  your  heart  a  tender  recol- 
lection of  the  land  of  your  fathers. 


X 


SILVER  JUBILEE  OF  THE 
CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY 


ADDRESS  ON  THE  OCCASION  OF  THE  SILVER 

JUBILEE  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY. 

DELIVERED    AT    ST.    PATRICK'S, 

WASHINGTON.  APRIL  15.1916. 

IT  is  in  all  ways  fitting  that  the  celebration  of 
this  anniversary  should  begin  with  the  most 
solemn  act  of  Christian  worship.  As  we 
glance  back  over  twenty-five  years  and  follow  the 
growth  of  the  Catholic  University  from  its  be- 
ginning on  to  the  present,  the  first  prompting  of 
our  hearts  urges  us  to  public  acknowledgment  of 
God^s  providential  care  and  to  the  highest  expres- 
sion of  our  gratitude  through  the  clean  oblation 
that  is  offered  upon  this  altar.  Whatever  has  been 
accomplished  by  this  institution  for  the  advance- 
ment of  religion  or  the  diffusion  of  knowledge, 
whatever  success  has  been  won  by  teachers  and 
students,  whatever  support  has  come  to  this  work 
through  zeal,  self-sacrifice  or  generosity — all  is 
due  to  Him  for  whose  glory  the  University  exists. 
To  Him  therefore  we  offer,  through  our  High 
Priest,  Jesus  Christ,  the  tribute  of  our  praise  and 
thanksgiving.    Here  in  His  sanctuary  we  gather 

190 


CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY  191 

to  consecrate  the  results  of  our  solicitude  and 
effort  and  to  implore  the  grace  of  His  benediction 
upon  all  who  have  shared  in  our  labors. 

Under  the  Divine  guidance,  we  are  indebted  to 
the  Holy  See,  by  whose  authority  the  University 
was  established  and  by  whose  direction  its  life 
has  been  fostered  and  invigorated.  To  those  great 
Pontiffs  of  blessed  memory,  Leo  XIII  and  Pius  X, 
we  owe  the  foundation  and  the  development  of 
the  most  important  work  ever  undertaken  for 
Catholic  education  in  our  country.  From  their 
successor,  our  Holy  Father  Benedict  XV,  we  have 
received  expressions  of  paternal  favor  which  are 
all  the  more  precious  because  they  come  from  a 
heart  that  is  laden  with  concern  for  the  welfare 
of  mankind  and  oppressed  by  the  war  now  raging 
in  Europe.  To  him  likewise  we  return  our  heart- 
felt thanks,  and  we  pray  that  the  Prince  of  Peace 
may  grant  him  the  happiness  of  seeing  the  world 
once  more  united  in  true  and  lasting  peace  and 
brotherhood. 

To  my  colleagues  in  the  Episcopate,  I  offer  on 
this  occasion  my  sincere  congratulation.  It  was 
the  Bishops  of  the  United  States  who,  in  the 
Plenary  Council  of  1866,  recognized  the  need  of  a 
Catholic  university  and  voiced  the  desire  to  have 
it  established.  It  was  their  successors  in  the  Coun- 
cil of  1884  who  took  the  first  active  measures  and 
petitioned  the  Holy  See  for  a  charter  and  a  con- 


192        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

stitution.  When  these  were  granted,  it  again 
devolved  upon  tlie  Bishops  to  organize  and  develop 
the  pontifical  university.  They  had  indeed  pledged 
themselves  to  the  execution  of  a  noble  design, 
worthy  of  the  Church  and  of  America  as  well. 
They  had  seen  the  necessity  of  an  institution  of 
learning  in  which  the  splendid  tradition  of  the 
past  should  take  on  new  vigor  amid  the  varied 
activities  of  our  age  and  spread  throughout  this 
land  the  united  benefits  of  religion  and  knowledge. 
They  realized  that  if  our  Catholic  education  was 
to  be  strengthened  in  every  part,  if  our  schools  and 
colleges  were  to  meet  adequately  the  increasing 
demands  made  upon  them  in  so  many  directions, 
the  one  means  to  attain  the  desired  results  was 
the  foundation  of  a  center  around  which  all  our 
educational  agencies  could  be  grouped  and  from 
which  each  and  all  would  derive  the  benefits  of 
earnest  co-operation. 

It  was  indeed  a  great  step  forward,  but  at  the 
same  time  it  was  a  great  responsibility.  Not  only 
were  the  interests  of  Catholic  education  involved; 
the  honor  of  the  Church  was  at  stake.  It  was  not 
to  meet  the  needs  of  a  single  diocese  or  of  any 
particular  section  of  the  country  that  the  Univer- 
sity was  founded;  but  to  further  the  welfare  of 
religion  in  every  diocese,  parish  and  home.  It 
was  not  simply  a  luxury  of  learning  that  we 
sought  for  a  few  gifted  minds,  but  the  preserva- 


CATHOLIC  UNIVEESITY  193 

tion  of  the  Catholic  faith  in  the  souls  of  all  our 
people. 

Pledged  as  they  were  to  a  work  of  such  magni- 
tude, the  Bishops  turned  with  confidence  to  the 
faithful  of  whose  generous  zeal  they  had  already 
received  so  many  proofs.  They  knew  that  our 
Catholic  people,  anxious  for  the  spiritual  welfare 
of  their  children,  would  respond  to  an  appeal  in 
behalf  of  Catholic  higher  education.  The  appeal 
was  made,  the  response  was  given,  and  the  Uni- 
versity stands  today  as  a  monument  attesting  to 
all  later  generations  the  devotedness  and  liberality 
of  the  Catholics  in  the  United  States.  I,  there- 
fore, at  this  solemn  moment,  make  grateful 
acknowledgment  to  all  who  have  aided  in  this 
holy  work — to  the  individual  donors  who  have 
given  out  of  their  abundance,  to  the  large-minded 
Catholic  associations  whose  united  efforts  have 
yielded  such  splendid  results,  and  in  particular, 
to  the  great  number  who  have  taken  from  their 
scantier  means  to  give  as  they  could  to  the  Uni- 
versity and  its  exalted  aims. 

Thus,  in  a  twofold  sense,  the  University  became 
a  sacred  trust;  it  was  committed  to  our  care  by 
the  Holy  See,  and  for  its  endowment  it  was  a 
debtor  to  our  Catholic  people.  All  the  more 
serious,  then,  was  the  duty  and  more  arduous  the 
task  of  establishing,  organizing  and  developing. 
There  was  need  of  counsel,  of  foresight,  of  careful, 


194        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

deliberate  planning  for  tlie  initial  steps  and  no 
less  for  those  that  progress  would  require.  Above 
all,  there  was  need  of  a  7nan  whose  soul,  filled  with 
a  holy,  creative  enthusiasm,  would  quicken  the 
project  into  living  reality  and  make  its  life  breathe 
and  pulsate  in  every  Catholic  heart.  I  thank  God 
that  such  a  man  was  found  in  the  person  of  the 
first  Eector.  I  rejoice  with  him  today  as  he  looks 
upon  the  fruit  of  his  labors;  and  I  pray  that  he 
may  yet  be  gladdened  by  a  richer  harvest.  Thou 
0  beloved  brother  didst  sow  the  seed  amid  the 
snow  and  rains  of  trial  and  adversity.  Thy 
worthy  successor  is  reaping  the  harvest. 

To  him  especially  is  due  the  organization  of  the 
University  as  a  teaching  body — the  selection  of  its 
professors,  the  grouping  of  its  faculties,  the  order- 
ing and  articulation  of  its  academic  activities.  It 
was  a  task  beset  with  difficulties,  and  vet  it  was 
essential;  it  was  the  actual  work  of  foundation 
upon  which  the  whole  structure  had  to  rest.  It 
called  for  men  who  had  already  realized  in  them- 
selves that  combination  of  faith  and  knowledge 
which  is  the  ideal  of  the  University.  It  demanded 
of  them  loyalty  to  the  Church  and  unselfish  devo- 
tion to  science.  It  offered  to  them  indeed  oppor- 
tunity and  career ;  but  it  laid  upon  them  the  grave 
obligation  of  shaping  at  its  inception  a  work  which 
held  in  itself  the  promises  and  the  hopes  of  religion 
present  and  future.  That  men  of  such  a  character 


CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY  195 

were  chosen  to  fill  the  University  chairs  and  that 
their  number  has  steadily  increased,  is  a  blessing 
for  which  we  cannot  be  too  grateful.  And  I  take 
this  occasion  to  congratulate  the  members  of  the 
Faculty  upon  the  success  which  has  crowned  their 
endeavors  and  upon  the  larger  prospect  of  useful- 
ness which  they  have  opened  to  our  view. 

All  great  works  have  their  inception  in  the  brain 
of  some  great  thinker.  God  gave  such  a  brain,  such 
a  man,  in  Bishop  Spalding.  With  his  wonderful 
intuitionary  power,  he  took  in  all  the  meaning  of 
the  present  and  the  future  of  the  Church  in 
America.  If  the  Catholic  University  is  today  an 
accomplished  fact,  we  are  indebted  for  its  exist- 
ence in  our  generation,  in  no  small  measure,  to  the 
persuasive  eloquence  and  convincing  arguments 
of  the  Bishop  of  Peoria. 

As  I  reflect  upon  the  events  of  these  twenty-five 
years,  the  conviction  that  shapes  itself  most 
clearly  in  my  mind  is  this:  all  the  reasons  and 
motives  that  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  Uni- 
versity have  been  intensified  in  urgency  and 
strength;  the  principles  which  it  embodies  have 
become  more  vitally  necessary  to  the  welfare  of 
Church  and  country;  the  expansion  of  its  work 
more  important  for  our  social  and  religious  prog- 
ress, more  essential  for  the  prosperity  of  our 
Catholic  institutions. 

The  chief  aim  of  the  University  was,  and  is,  to 


196        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

teach  tlie   whole   truth — that  which   God  has  re- 
vealed and  that  which  man  has  discovered — ^to 
teach  it,  not  simply  as  an  abstract  theory,  but  as 
a  practical  guide  and  standard  of  action,  as  a 
law,  and  indeed  the  supreme  law,  of  human  con- 
duct for  individual,  society  and  nation.    We  hold 
that  religion  is  not  for  the  child  alone  nor  only  for 
simple,  untutored  minds;  it  is  for  men  as  their 
first  duty,  and  it  lays  most  stringent  obligation  on 
those  whose  intelligence  is  most  fully  enlightened. 
We  hold,  in  consequence,  that  the  higher  educa- 
tion must  give  a  larger  place  to  the  imparting  of 
religious  knowledge,  and  that  the  highest  educa- 
tion is  precisely  the  field  in  which  religion  should 
be  most  thoroughly  cultivated  and  its  practice 
most  constantly  fostered.    A  university,  whether 
it  emphasize  culture,  or  research,  or  professional 
training,  is  a  maker  of  men,  a  framer  of  ideals,  a 
school  for  leaders.    It  forms  opinion  not  only  by 
what  it  teaches  but  also  by  its  selection  of  the  sub- 
jects which  it  considers  deserving  of  study.      It 
influences  its  immediate  students,  but  it  gives  a 
lesson  of  far  wider  import  to  the  community  at 
large,  by  its  omissions  as  well  as  by  its  positive 
instruction.    And  all  this  it  does  more  effectually 
in  proportion  as  it  excels  through  the  learning  of 
its  professors,  the  abundance  of  its  resources  and 
the  prestige  of  its  traditions. 

This  conviction  as  to  the  necessity  of  religion  in 


CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY  197 

higher  education  is  not,  I  understand,  shared  by- 
all  even  of  those  who  are  most  competent  to  define 
the  scope  and  nature  of  a  university.  It  has  not 
found  expression  in  the  organization  of  many  of 
the  universities  that  are,  in  other  respects,  so 
creditable  to  our  country.  Nor  has  it  been,  so  far 
as  I  can  see,  the  guilding  principle  in  many  of  the 
great  educational  movements  by  which  the  na- 
tional character  is  supposed  to  get  the  form  and 
fibre  of  true  citizenship. 

Yet  I  venture  to  say  that  at  no  time  in  the  his- 
tory of  thought  has  there  been  such  searching 
inquiry  into  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity and  of  every  other  system  of  religious 
belief.  At  no  period  in  our  country's  develop- 
ment has  the  basis  of  morality  in  public  and  in 
private  life  been  subjected  to  so  keen  a  scrutiny. 
To  no  earlier  generation  have  the  problems  of 
human  existence  and  human  destiny  been  pre- 
sented with  such  penetrating  clearness,  or  their 
solution  shrouded  in  such  helpless  uncertainty. 
Perplexed  by  innumerable  theories  that  swing 
from  one  extreme  to  another,  the  most  learned  and 
most  honest  investigators  have  exclaimed:  igno- 
ramus et  ignorahimus.  Like  the  Athenians  of  old 
they  would  fain  have  written  upon  the  temple  of 
their  fruitless  quest — *^To  the  unknown  God.'' 

Truly  the  time  had  come  for  the  voice  of  Paul 
to  make  itself  heard  in  the  Areopagus  of  culture 


198         A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

and  ceaseless  speculation.  Tlie  time  was  ripe  for 
a  restatement,  in  terms  tliat  the  men  of  this  day 
could  understand,  of  the  truth  about  the  God  in 
whom  *'we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being." 
There  was  wanted,  as  never  before,  an  interpreta- 
tion of  nature  and  its  laws  which  should  make  it 
plain  that  ^Hhe  invisible  things  of  God,  from  the 
creation  of  the  world,  are  clearly  seen,  being  un- 
derstood by  the  things  that  are  made.''  Our 
unprecedented  advance  in  physical  science  should 
have  reminded  us  that  the  ultimate  ground  of  the 
universe  is  not  ^4ike  unto  gold  or  silver  or  stone 
graven  by  art  and  man's  device,"  that  the  God- 
head, whereof  we  are  the  offspring,  is  the  sov- 
ereign intelligence  whose  design  we  are  stri\dng 
to  trace,  and  therefore  that  all  thought  and  all 
teaching  about  the  world,  its  evolution  and  its 
origin,  is  incomplete  if  it  disregard  the  Supreme 
Cause  and  our  relations  to  Him. 

During  this  period,  likewise,  while  science  has 
given  us  countless  new  evidences  of  the  inviolable 
order  and  harmony  that  pervade  all  things — of 
the  *^ reign  of  law"  in  nature — man  himself  has 
claimed  and  won  a  larger  liberty.  The  former 
restraints  upon  individual  action  have  been 
loosened,  the  older  and  more  rigid  forms  of  gov- 
ernment have  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  the 
democratic  spirit,  and  this  freedom,  widening  with 
the  spread  of  knowledge,  has  apparently  left  to 


CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY  199 

each  man  the  shaping  of  his  ideals  and  their  at- 
tainment, the  ordering  of  his  life  in  the  pursuit 
of  happiness  and  fortune. 

But  this  very  assertion  and  recognition  of  per- 
sonal rights  has  pointed  out  more  forcibly  than 
ever  their  natural  and  necessary  mutual  limitation. 
There  is  no  real  liberty  without  law,  and  there  is 
no  meaning  or  validity  to  law  unless  it  be  ob- 
served. The  growth  of  democracy  does  not  imply 
that  each  man  shall  become  a  law  unto  himself, 
but  that  he  shall  feel  in  himself  the  obligation  to 
obey.  If  the  enacting  power  has  been  transferred 
from  the  will  of  the  ruler  to  the  will  of  the  people, 
the  binding,  coercive  power  has  been  laid,  with 
greater  stress  of  responsibility  than  ever  before, 
upon  the  individual  conscience.  Unless  men  be 
taught  that  obedience  is  right  and  honorable  and 
necessary  alike  for  private  interest  and  for  the 
common  weal,  legislation  will  avail  but  little,  the 
law-making  power  will  become  a  mockery  and  the 
people  themselves  will  be  the  first  to  complain 
that  legislation  has  been  carried  to  excess.  They 
should  learn  that  obedience  is  not  an  act  of  ser- 
vility we  pay  to  man  but  an  act  of  homage  we  pay 
to  God,  whose  representative  he  is. 

Now  conscience  itself  has  need  of  a  higher  sanc- 
tion, of  an  enlightenment,  of  a  principle  of  direc- 
tion superior  in  wisdom  to  any  merely  human 
sense  of  justice.    And  the  need  becomes  greater 


200        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

as  the  people,  with  reason  or  without  reason,  are 
led  to  the  conviction  that  power,  even  in  a 
democracy,  can  be  abused,  and  that  legislation  is 
not  always  the  surest  remedy  for  wrong  or  the 
strongest  safeguard  of  right. 

But  if  education  in  its  highest  form  pay  no 
regard  to  religious  truth,  then  I  ask,  by  what 
means  shall  the  conscience  of  the  nation  be  de- 
veloped! If  men  are  taught  that  the  laws  of 
nature  must  be  obeyed,  yet  learn  nothing  of  a 
divine  law-giver,  what  bound  can  be  set  or  hind- 
rance placed  to  the  self-seeking  tendencies,  the 
passion  of  greed  and  the  strife  for  domination  that 
threaten  to  make  life  merely  a  struggle  for  ex- 
istence? What  guarantee  of  peace  at  home  and 
abroad  can  we  secure,  what  respect  for  the  rights 
of  a  people,  what  confidence  in  the  agreement  of 
nations,  if  men  are  responsible  to  no  higher 
tribunal,  if  force  is  the  ultimate  resort  and  the 
final  arbitration? 

The  past  quarter  century  has  been  marked  by 
the  study  of  problems  that  aif  ect  in  a  very  practical 
way  the  well-being  of  humanity,  that  spring,  as  it 
were,  from  the  very  nature  of  our  condition  here 
upon  earth,  from  our  progress  in  knowledge,  our 
political  organization  and  our  economic  situation. 
I  refer  to  the  problems  which  have  made  possible 
and  necessary  the  social  sciences,  and  which  there- 
fore have  demanded  a  more  systematic  inquiry 


CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY  201 

than  ever  before  into  our  human  relations.  The 
structure  of  society,  the  origin  and  history  of 
institutions,  the  causes  of  decline,  the  possibility 
of  betterment — all  these,  I  am  aware,  are  questions 
that  can  be  treated  from  the  standpoint  of  theory 
pure  and  simple.  But  whatever  conclusions  may 
be  reached  on  the  theoretical  side,  the  fact  still 
remains  that  there  are  evils  in  the  concrete  to  be 
remedied,  and  that  men  and  women  of  the  highest 
intelligence  and  purpose  are  seeking  the  remedy 
that  shall  prove  most  effectual. 

There  is  still  much  to  be  done  for  the  relief  of 
suffering  and  for  the  development  of  those  virtues 
which  are  indispensable  to  our  social  existence. 
More  vital  than  anything  else,  there  is  the  increas- 
ing necessity  of  securing  the  family  tie  and  of 
sanctifying  the  home  as  the  original  source  of 
purity,  of  upright  living,  of  conscientious  dealing 
with  the  f  ellowman,  of  genuine  patriotic  endeavor. 
In  a  word,  there  are  pressing  wants  which  legisla- 
tion alone  cannot  fully  supply,  but  which  appeal 
all  more  strongly  to  the  nobler  instincts  of  our 
nature. 

In  view  of  these  conditions,  I  cordially  welcome 
the  fact  that  the  ideal  of  service  is  so  widely 
accepted,  and  that  in  so  many  ways  it  is  finding 
beneficent  realization.  I  rejoice  at  this,  because 
I  believe  that  those  who  are  striving  in  behalf  of 
their  fellowmen,  will  be  drawn  by  experience  to  a 


202        A  RETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

fuller  acceptance  of  the  Gospel  and  a  firmer  hold 
on  the  teachings  of  Him  who  is  the  way,  the  truth 
and  the  life.  For  the  sake  of  this  belief,  I  cherish 
the  hope  that,  from  the  practice  of  fraternal  love, 
a  returning  wave  of  influence  may  sweep  over  and 
through  our  educational  agencies,  and  permeate 
them  with  the  spirit  and  doctrine  of  Christ.  I 
look  forward  to  the  day  when  our  institutions  of 
learning,  so  prolific  of  benefit  to  our  material 
existence,  will  regard  as  their  worthiest  aim  the 
formation  of  character  in  accordance  with  the  one 
perfect  Model. 

The  need  of  God — this  is  what  I  find  as  I  con- 
sider what  has  come  to  pass  in  these  twenty-five 
years:  the  need  of  a  divine  truth  to  complete  our 
search  after  knowledge,  the  need  of  a  divine  law 
to  secure  the  justice  of  our  human  enactments  and 
their  proper  observance,  the  need  of  an  earnest 
faith  in  the  gentle  ministration  of  love.  To  supply 
this  need  is,  in  my  judgment,  an  undertaking  of 
the  highest  value,  worthy  of  the  best  effort  that 
learning  and  authority  can  put  forth.  It  is  a  duty 
that  we  owe  to  the  Church  and  to  our  country.  It 
is,  in  particular,  a  duty  that  the  University  owes  to 
the  youth  of  the  land,  who  must  take  up  in  their 
turn  the  responsibilities  of  the  nation,  the  pres- 
ervation of  its  moral  life,  the  maintenance  of  its 
liberties. 

But  it  is  also  an  undertaking  and  a  duty  which 


CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY  203 

require  the  union  and  co-operation  of  all  our 
forces.  There  must  be  clear  understanding  of 
aims,  judicious  selection  of  means,  and  wise  dis- 
tribution of  labor.  There  must  be  no  waste  of 
effort  but  the  utmost  economy,  no  scattering  of 
pursuits,  but  close  concentration;  and  concentra- 
tion is  impossible  without  a  center. 

I  deem  it,  therefore,  a  reason  for  congratulation 
and  a  source  of  encouragement  that  such  a  center 
has  been  established  in  the  Catholic  University. 
This  much,  we  can  truly  say,  has  been  accom- 
plished, and  this  was  the  first  essential  requisite 
in  the  furtherance  of  our  common  aim.  The  Uni- 
versity has  gathered  into  one  body,  as  teachers 
and  as  students,  representatives  of  the  priesthood 
and  of  the  laity.  One  after  another  the  religious 
Orders  have  established  at  this  center  their  houses 
of  study,  to  join  haiids  with  the  diocesan  clergy  in 
building  up  the  stronghold  of  knowledge  for  the 
protection  of  the  Catholic  faith.  Our  colleges, 
academies  and  high  schools  are  shaping  their  work 
in  accordance  with  the  standards  established  by  the 
University.  Our  Catholic  associations  are  turning 
to  it  as  the  agency  which  is  best  able  to  do  what- 
ever education  can  do  towards  the  realization  of 
their  noble  purposes.  And  now  that  our  charitable 
organizations  have  found  it  helpful  to  consult  with 
one  another  for  the  solution  of  their  numerous 
problems,  they  likewise  have  chosen  the  Uni- 


204        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

versity  as  the  appropriate  center  of  their  delibera- 
tions. 

Thanks  to  these  co-operative  movements  there  is 
growing  up  in  our  Catholic  people  a  stronger  sense 
of  their  responsibility  in  the  matter  of  education 
and  at  the  same  time  a  clearer  consciousness  of 
their  ability  to  do  their  full  share  toward  the 
preservation  of  those  moral  and  religious  inter- 
ests which  are  vital  to  the  home  and  to  the  nation. 
They  are  coming  to  realize  that  as  their  fore- 
fathers in  the  ages  of  faith  created  the  first  uni- 
versities, so  in  their  own  day  and  country  they 
are  building  a  great  central  school  which  they  will 
transmit  as  a  precious  inheritance  to  all  genera- 
tions. 

In  the  growth  of  the  University,  twenty-five 
years  is  but  as  a  day ;  in  the  life  of  the  individual, 
it  counts  for  much  more.  I  regard  it  as  a  special 
favor  granted  me  by  Almighty  God  that  I  have 
been  permitted  to  devote  so  much  of  my  time  to 
this  sacred  cause.  From  the  beginning,  the  Uni- 
versity has  been  for  me  an  object  of  deepest  per- 
sonal concern.  Through  its  growth  and  through 
its  struggles,  through  all  the  vicissitudes  which  it 
has  experienced,  it  has  been  very  near  to  my  heart. 
It  has  cost  me,  in  anxiety  and  tension  of  spirit, 
far  more  than  any  other  of  the  duties  or  cares 
which  have  fallen  to  my  lot.  But  for  this  very 
reason,  I  feel  a  greater  satisfaction  in  its  progress. 


CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY  «05 

I  feel  amply  compensated  for  whatever  I  have 
been  able  to  do  in  bearing  its  burdens  and  in  help- 
ing it  through  trial  to  prosperity  and  success.  I 
thank  Heaven  that  my  hopes  have  not  been  in 
vain,  and  I  rejoice  that  the  future  of  the  Uni- 
versity is  now  assured.  In  the  same  spirit,  I  shall 
strive,  so  long  as  life  and  strength  may  be  given 
me,  for  the  further  development  of  the  work  which 
we  have  undertaken  for  the  glory  of  God,  the  pros- 
perity of  religion  and  the  welfare  of  our  country. 
I  shall  look  with  increasing  confidence  to  our  gen- 
erous clergy  and  people  for  good-will  and  support, 
to  the  University  itself  for  a  timely  solution  of 
the  problems  which  education  offers,  and,  above, 
all,  to  the  Divine  assistance  which  I  earnestly 
implore  for  the  guidance  of  our  common  endeavor 
to  the  ends  which  the  University  is  destined  to 
accomplish. 


WILL  THE  AMERICAN  REPUBLIC 

ENDURE? 


WILL   THE   AMERICAN    REPUBLIC   ENDURE? 

PREACHED   IN   THE   BALTIMORE 

CATHEDRAL.  NOV.  3.1912. 

"Open  ye  the  gates  that  the  righteous  nation  that  keepeth 
the  truth  may  enter  in:  Thou  hast  increased  the  nation,  O 
Lord,  Thou  art  glorified." — Isaiah  xxvi,  2:16. 

IT  is  the  habit  of  pessimistic  prophets  to  predict 
that  our  Government  will  soon  come  to  an 
end,  and  that  it  is  already  in  the  throes  of 
dissolution,  and  that  the  disaster  is  sure  to  be 
hastened,  if  their  favorite  candidate  is  defeated. 
These  prophecies  are  usually  more  frequent  on  the 
eve  of  a  Presidential  election.  I  have  been  listen- 
ing to  these  dire  prognostications  for  over  half  a 
century. 

But  in  every  instance  the  American  people  wake 
up  on  the  morning  after  election  to  find  that  they 
were  disquieted  by  false  alarms  and  that  the  Gov- 
ernment is  transacting  its  business  in  the  same 
quiet  and  orderly  manner  as  before. 

I  propose  this  morning  to  state  as  briefly  as 
possible  the  grounds  of  my  confidence  in  the  sta- 
bility and  endurance  of  the  American  Eepublic. 

206 


THE  REPUBLIC  207 

By  a  wise  provision  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  political  authority  is  not  concen- 
trated in  one  individual,  or  in  one  department  of 
the  administration,  but  is  judiciously  distributed, 
so  that  the  balance  of  power  may  be  preserved. 
Our  general  government  consists  of  the  Executive, 
the  Legislative  and  the  Judicial  branches.  If  any- 
thing goes  wrong  with  any  one  of  these  depart- 
ments, if  it  wanders  from  the  path  marked  out  for 
it  by  the  Constitution,  the  evil  is  checked  by  the 
other  two,  and  usurpation  of  power  is  pre- 
vented. There  is  an  habitual  jealousy  among 
these  branches.  They  are  on  the  alert,  jealously 
watching  one  another,  so  that  no  one  branch  may 
exceed  its  legitimate  bounds.  Eternal  vigilance  is 
the  price  of  liberty. 

Then  again,  besides  the  Federal  administration, 
we  have  State  Governments,  and  county  rule ;  we 
have  city  and  town  and  village  municipalities.  If 
all  of  these  minor  corporations  were  absorbed  by 
the  general  government,  if  our  governors,  and 
State  Legislators,  and  sheriffs,  and  mayors  an^ 
councilmen  were  all  under  the  control  of  the 
President ;  if  he  could  at  will  decapitate  all  obnox- 
ious subordinate  rulers,  with  one  blow,  all  our 
political  liberties  would  be  at  an  end.  But  happily 
all  these  lesser  officials  en^'oy  full  autonomy  in 
their  spheres  and  are  independent  of  the  Chief 
Magistrate. 


208        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

Our  system  of  Government  is  very  complex.  It 
may  be  compared  to  a  colossal  engine  containing 
innumerable  wheels  within  wheels.  Each  wheel 
works  in  its  own  orbit  like  the  planetary  system. 
If  the  great  Federal  wheel  gets  out  of  order,  the 
smaller  wheels  do  not  stop,  they  are  not  much 
deranged,  but  keep  on  revolving  till  the  big 
machine  is  repaired. 

We  are  all  familiar  with  the  memorable  Titanic 
disaster  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of  so  many 
precious  lives,  as  well  as  the  peerless  vessel  itself. 
Had  all  the  compartments  of  that  steamship  been 
watertight,  the  loss  of  life  would  have  been 
avoided. 

Now  our  Government  is  often  called  a  Ship  of 
State.  This  great  ship  of  state  is  divided  into 
forty-eight  minor  States.  Each  of  these  States 
may  be  said  to  be  water-proof,  in  the  sense  that 
the  engulfing  of  one,  would  not  involve  the  sink- 
ing of  the  others.  California,  for  example,  might 
be  overwhelmed  by  the  waters  of  a  political  revo- 
lution without  disturbing  the  neighboring  States 
of  Washington,  Nevada  or  Arizona. 

If  our  States  were  mere  Provinces  or  Terri- 
tories without  autonomy  and  sovereignty,  like 
other  Republics  less  favored  than  ours,  we  would 
enjoy  less  stability  and  less  hope  of  enduring  free- 
dom than  we  now  possess. 

The  safety  and  permanence  therefore  of  our 


THE  REPUBLIC  209 

Eepublic  largely  depends  on  the  autonomy  of  the 
several  States,  without  the  danger  of  being 
absorbed  by  the  general  Government.  Should  our 
Governors  and  Legislators  ever  become  the  sub- 
servient creatures  of  the  federal  Government, 
they  would  be  mere  puppets,  subject  to  the  will  of 
the  Chief  Executive.  They  would  cease  to  be 
water-proof,  and  would  share  the  fate  of  the 
Titanic. 

Two  momentous  crises  occurred  in  my  own  day 
which  were  well  calculated  to  test  the  vitality  and 
strength  of  the  Eepublic.  The  first  was  the  war 
between  the  States,  when  the  nation  was  cut  in 
twain,  when  fratricidal  blood  was  shed  over  the 
land  and  a  tremendous  conflict  was  carried  on  for 
four  years.  This  calamity  has  happily  ended  and 
the  dismembered  States  are  now  more  firmly 
united  than  ever  before,  because  slavery,  which 
was  the  bone  of  contention,  has  been  removed, 
once  and  forever. 

The  second  crisis  occurred  in  the  Presidential 
contest  in  1876  between  Tilden  and  Hayes.  Mr. 
Tilden  was  robbed  of  the  fruit  of  the  victory 
which,  according  to  the  prevailing  belief  at  the 
time,  he  honestly  won,  and  by  questionable  de- 
vices Mr.  Hayes  was  declared  the  successful  candi- 
date. 

A  nation  that  could  survive  these  terrible 
strains,  must  be  possessed  of  extraordinary  vital- 


210        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

ity  and  resources,  and  leads  us  to  hope  that  in  any 
future  emergency,  the  leaders  and  statesmen  of 
the  Republic  will  rise  to  the  occasion  and  bring 
order  out  of  chaos. 

Another  strong  ground  of  confidence  I  have  in 
the  stability  and  permanence  of  the  Republic,  rests 
on  the  enlightenment,  the  good  sense  and  patriot- 
ism of  the  American  people.  You  and  your  fathers 
have  now  for  a  century  and  a  quarter  experienced 
and  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  a  strong  and  free  gov- 
ernment. And  if  you  compare  the  results  of  our 
political  system  with  those  of  other  civilized 
nations,  I  do  not  think  that  our  Republic,  with  all 
its  drawbacks  and  shortcomings,  will  suffer  in  the 
comparison.  You  can  say:  *  ^America,  with  all  thy 
faults,  I  love  thee  still.'' 

'Cold,  indeed,  and  torpid,  obtuse  and  apathetic 
is  the  soul  that  is  not  aroused  to  warmth  and 
enthusiasm  in  contemplating  the  history  of  the 
United  States  which  has  been  the  home  of  liberty 
and  the  haven  of  rest  to  downtrodden  millions  in 
other  lands. 

But  the  survival  of  the  American  Republic  must 
rest  on  a  more  stable  foundation  than  the  patriot- 
ism of  our  citizens,  the  genius  of  our  statesmen 
and  the  wisdom  of  our  laws.  It  must  have  a 
stronger  basis  than  fleets  of  dreadnoughts  and 
standing  armies ;  for  ^ '  the  race  is  not  to  the  swift, 
nor  the  battle  to  the  strong.''    Our  enduring  sta- 


THE  REPUBLIC  211 

bility  can  be  secured  only  under  the  abiding  pro- 
tection of  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 

The  history  of  the  Jewish  people  from  the  days 
of  Abraham  to  their  dispersion  among  the  Gen- 
tiles, gives  a  forcible  illustration  of  this  truth :  that 
those  people  are  victorious  in  the  end,  who  have 
the  God  of  battles  on  their  side,  and  that  He  is 
with  them  who  have  unfailing  confidence  in  His 
protection. 

'^Eighteousness,"  says  the  Book  of  Proverbs, 
**exalteth  a  nation,  but  sin  is  a  reproach  to  the 
people.''    If  our  Eepublic  is  to  be  perpetuated,  if 
it  is  to  be  handed  down  unimpaired  to  future  gen- 
erations, it  must  rest  on  the  eternal  principles  of 
justice,  truth  and  righteousness,  and  downright 
honesty  in  our  dealings  with  other  nations,  it  must 
be  sustained  by  the  devout  recognition  of  an  over- 
ruling Power  Who  governs  all  things  by  His  wis- 
dom, whose  superintending  Providence  watches 
over  the  affairs  of  nations  as  well  as  of  men,  with- 
out Whom  not  even  a  bird  can  fall  to  the  ground. 
One  of  the  leaders  of  the  Convention  that  assem- 
bled in  Philadelphia  to  frame  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  made  the  following  sage  remark 
to  his  colleagues :  **  We  have  spent  many  days  and 
weeks  in  our  deliberations,  and  we  have  accom- 
plished little  or  nothing.   We  have  been  groping  in 
the  dark,  because  we  have  not  sought  light  from 
the  Father  of  lights  to  illumine  our  understand- 


212        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

ing.  I  liave  lived  for  many  years,  and  the  older  I 
grow,  the  more  I  am  convinced  that  a  Supreme 
Power  interferes  in  the  affairs  of  mankind.  For 
if  a  sparrow  cannot  fall  to  the  ground  without  His 
knowledge,  how  can  an  empire  rise  without  His 
co-operation?  And  we  also  know  from  the  same 
Sacred  Volume,  that  'unless  the  Lord  build  the 
house,  he  laboreth  in  vain  who  buildeth.'  " 

And  happily  for  the  nation,  this  humble  recog- 
nition of  a  superintending  Power  has  been  upheld 
from  the  dawn  of  the  Eepublic  to  our  own  time. 
What  a  striking  contrast  we  present  in  this  respect 
to  our  Sister  Eepublic  across  the  Atlantic,  which 
once  bore  the  proud  title  of  '*  eldest  daughter  of 
the  Church.''  The  leaders  of  the  French  Eepublic 
are  so  far  carried  away  by  the  tide  of  unbelief 
that  they  studiously  eliminate  the  name  of  God 
from  their  official  utterances.  How  different  is 
the  conduct  of  our  leaders  and  statesmen !  They 
have  all  paid  homage  to  the  moral  Governor  of 
the  world.  All  the  Presidents  of  the  United  States, 
from  George  Washington  to  William  Howard  Taft, 
have  invariably  invoked  the  aid  of  our  heavenly 
Father  in  their  inaugural  Proclamations.  It  is 
also  the  edifying  custom  of  our  Chief  Magistrate 
to  invite  his  fellow  citizens  to  assemble  in  their 
respective  places  of  worship  on  the  last  Thursday 
of  November,  to  offer  thanksgiving  to  the  Giver  of 
all  gifts  for  the  blessings  vouchsafed  to  the  nation. 


THE  EEPUBLIC  213 

Both  Houses  of  Congress  are  daily  opened  with 
prayer.  And  all  important  civic  and  political  con- 
ventions are  inaugurated  by  an  appeal  to  the 
throne  of  Grace.  God's  supremacy  is  also  recog- 
nized by  the  observance  of  the  Christian  sabbath 
throughout  the  land. 

It  is  true  indeed  that  we  have  no  official  union 
of  Church  and  State  in  this  country.  But  we  are 
not  to  infer  from  this  fact  that  there  is  any  antag- 
onism between  the  civil  and  religious  authorities, 
nor  does  it  imply  any  indifference  to  religious  prin- 
ciples. Far  from  it.  Church  and  State  move  in 
parallel  lines.  The  State  throws  over  the  Church 
the  mantle  of  its  protection,  without  interferring 
with  the  God-given  rights  of  conscience;  and  the 
Church  on  her  part  renders  valuable  aid  to  the 
State,  in  upholding  the  civil  laws  by  religious  and 
moral  sancitions. 

No  man  should  be  a  drone  in  the  social  bee-hive. 
No  man  should  be  an  indifferent  spectator  of  the 
political  and  economic  questions  which  confront 
him.  Indifference  and  apathy  in  civic  and  political 
life  is  as  hurtful  to  the  State  as  indifference  in 
religion  is  hurtful  to  the  christian  Commonwealth. 
Our  Lord  says  to  the  Bishop  of  Laodicea:  **I 
would  that  thou  wert  hot  or  cold ;  but  because  thou 
art  lukewarm,  and  art  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will 
begin  to  vomit  thee  out  of  my  mouth.'' 

A  sincere  man  who  in  attacking  Christian  faith, 


gl4        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

honestly  believes  that  he  is  right,  is  less  blame- 
worthy than  the  torpid,  lukewarm  Christian  wEo 
never  takes  an  interest  in  the  religion  of  Christ. 
In  like  manner,  a  citizen,  who  earnestly  and  in 
good  faith,  espouses  a  faulty  political  principle,  is 
less  dangerous  to  the  State  than  the  supine  citizen 
who  never  takes  an  interest  in  the  political  welfare 
of  his  country. 

And  it  is  my  profound  conviction  that  if  ever  the 
Eepublic  is  doomed  to  decay,  if  the  future  historian 
shall  ever  record  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  Amer- 
ican Eepublic,  its  downfall  will  be  due,  not  to  a 
hostile  invasion,  but  to  the  indifference,  lethargy 
and  political  apostacy  of  her  own  sons. 

And  if  all  citizens  are  bound  to  take  an  interest 
in  public  affairs,  that  duty  especially  devolves  on 
those  who  are  endowed  with  superior  intelligence 
and  education,  and  who  ought  to  be  the  leaders  and 
exemplars  of  the  people,  guiding  them  in  the  path 
of  political  rectitude. 

There  are  three  conspicuous  citizens  who  are 
now  candidates  for  the  Presidency.  Whatever  may 
be  my  private  and  personal  preference  and  predi- 
lection, it  is  not  for  me  in  this  sacred  pulpit  or 
anywhere  else  publicly  to  dictate  or  even  suggest 
to  you  the  candidate  of  my  choice. 

May  God  so  enlighten  the  mind  and  quicken  the 
conscience  of  the  American  people  to  a  sense  of 
their  civic  duties,  as  to  arouse  in  them  an  earnest 


THE  REPUBLIC  215 

and  practical  interest  in  the  coming  election,  and 
may  He  so  guide  their  hearts  that  they  will  select 
a  Chief  Magistrate  whose  administration  will  re- 
dound to  the  material  prosperity  and  moral  wel- 
fare of  our  beloved  Kepublic. 


MONTH'S  MIND 

OF 

ARCHBISHOP  SPALDING 


DISCOURSE  IN  THE  BALTIMORE  CATHEDRAL 
AT  THE  MONTH'S  MIND  OF  ARCH- 
BISHOP SPALDING  WHO  DIED 
FEBRUARY  7.  1872. 

"Anna  prayed  to  the  Lord,  shedding  many  tears.  And  she 
made  a  vow,  saying:  0  Lord  of  hosts,  if  Thou  wilt  look  down 
on  the  affliction  of  Thy  servant,  and  wilt  be  mindful  of  me, 
and  not  forget  Thy  hand-maid,  and  wilt  give  to  Thy  servant  a 
man-child:  I  will  give  him  to  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  his  life. 
I  Sam.  1-10-11. 

IT  is  a  fact  amply  attested  by  the  history  of 
mankind,  that  distinguished  minds  have  been 
usually  blessed  with  mothers  of  a  superior 
character. 

It  was  the  piety  of  a  Monica  that  restored  an 
Augustine  to  God  and  to  His  Church. 

It  was  the  wisdom  of  a  Queen  Blanche  that 
moulded  the  character  of  the  good  King  Louis  of 
France. 

Eoger  Brooke  Taney,  Chief  Justice  of  the  United 
States,  in  his  Autobiography  declares  that,  if  he 
remained  loyal  to  the  Catholic  Religion  of  his  fath- 
ers, and  if  he  practiced  with  fidelity  the  Christian 

216 


ARCHBISHOP  SPALDING  217 

virtues,  under  God,  lie  was  most  indebted  to  the 
example  and  instruction  of  his  mother  Monica. 

And  in  reflecting  on  the  Scripture  narrative 
which  I  have  just  read,  we  may  well  imagine  what 
a  potent  influence  was  exercised  by  Anna  in  shap- 
ing the  sublime  destiny  of  the  Prophet  Samuel. 

Had  Anna  selfishly  kept  her  son  to  herself ;  had 
**she  loved  him  not  wisely  but  too  well,''  his  name 
might  be  lost  to  sacred  history,  and  never  recorded 
in  the  Book  of  Life.  But  in  surrendering  him  to 
God,  she  was  instrumental  in  immortalizing  him 
in  the  pages  of  Holy  Writ,  and  in  having  him  glor- 
ified in  Lleaven.  And  the  honor  which  redounds 
to  the  son,  is  reflected  back  upon  the  mother;  for, 
the  names  of  Anna  and  Samuel  shall  be  forever 
inseparably  united. 

If  we  substitute  the  names  of  Henrietta,  and 
Martin  John,  for  the  names  of  Anna  and  Samuel, 
we  may  discover  some  features  in  the  lives  of  the 
former  mother  and  child  which  find  their  counter- 
part in  the  personages  of  the  Sacred  text. 

Henrietta  Spalding,  the  mother  of  Martin  John 
Spalding,  was  noted  for  the  purity  of  her  life,  and 
the  gentleness  of  her  disposition.  Probably  on  ac- 
count of  his  feeble  and  delicate  health,  she  mani- 
fested a  more  tender  affection  for  him  than  for  her 
other  children. 

With  unconscious  prophecy,  she  always  called 
kim  her  little  Bishop.  The  designation  she  gave 


218        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

him,  no  doubt  disclosed  the  desire  of  her  heart  that 
like  Samuel,  he  would  one  day,  be  consecrated  to 
the  Lord.  And  although  she  died  before  he  reached 
the  years  of  maturity,  she  left  on  his  heart  and 
memory  the  indelible  impress  of  her  maternal 
virtues. 

In  being  called  from  Kentucky  in  1864,  to  preside 
over  the  Metropolitan  See  of  Baltimore,  Arch- 
bishop Spalding  was  coming  back  to  the  home  of 
his  forefathers  who  came  from  Licolnshire,  Eng- 
lang,  to  Maryland  in  1650,  a  few  years  after  Lord 
Baltimore  and  his  colony  had  established  their 
home  in  *'The  Land  of  the  Sanctuary."  I  can 
well  recall  the  joy  and  enthusiasm  with  which  he 
was  welcomed  to  his  ancestral  state  by  the  citizens 
of  Baltimore  without  distinction  of  race  or  re- 
ligion. 

Well  may  we.  Brethren,  grieve  for  the  loss  of 
our  beloved  chief  pastor.  Every  day  of  the  six 
weeks  that  hav^e  elapsed  since  his  death,  has  only 
intensified  our  bereavement,  because  every  day 
convinces  us  more  and  more  of  the  great  affliction 
we  have  sustained.  And  with  a  sorrowful  sense,  I 
relate  it,  the  fresh-bleeding  wounds  of  our  hearts 
are  opened  again  by  the  death  of  your  well-beloved 
Eector,  Very  Rev.  Doctor  Coskery.  I  grieve  for 
thee,  0  brother !  Greater  than  the  love  of  man  for 
woman  was  the  affection  I  had  for  thee.  Like  the 
Deacon  Lawrence  of  old,  who  would  not  survive 


ARCHBISHOP  SPALDma  219 

his  father,  the  High  Priest,  Sixtus,  but  followed 
him  to  martyrdom;  so  didst  thou  follow  to  the 
grave  thy  beloved  father  whom  thou  hadst  served 
so  faithfully! 

The  electric  flash  that  went  forth  on  the  seventh 
of  February,  bearing,  alas !  the  too  speedy  message 
of  death,  brought  mourning  to  thousands  of  fami- 
lies throughout  the  land.  The  head  was  struck,  and 
the  remotest  members  felt  the  shock. 

It  has  paralyzed  with  grief  you  first  of  all,  ven- 
erable Brethren  of  the  clergy.  You  feel  that  in 
losing  your  Archbishop  you  have  lost  a  kind  father, 
a  watchful  shepherd,  a  fearless  leader,  an  impartial 
judge.  Like  the  Prophet  Eliseus,  seeing  his  father 
Elias  taken  up  to  heaven,  each  of  you  could  exclaim 
on  beholding  your  father  snatched  from  you :  *  ^  My 
father,  my  father,  the  chariot  of  Israel,  and  the 
rider  thereof.^*  Yes,  he  steered  the  chariot  of 
Israel,  the  Church  of  Baltimore,  with  an  unerring 
hand.  *'Thou  wert  indeed  the  glory  of  Jerusalem, 
thou  wert  the  joy  of  Israel,  thou  wert  the  honor  of 
our  people.'^    Judith  xv.  10. 

It  has  struck  with  sorrow  you,  faithful  Brethren 
of  the  laity,  for  you  were  justly  proud  of  your 
great  Archbishop.  In  honoring  him  you  honored 
your  religion  itself,  of  which  he  was  so  fearless  an 
exponent. 

And  well  may  you  weep,  0  tender  orphans,  for 


220        A  KETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

in  losing  your  father  yon  liave  been  reduced  to 
orphanage  a  second  time. 

The  Prelates  of  the  United  States  will  miss  from 
their  ranks  their  distinguished  brother,  who  was 
an  ornament  to  the  hierarchy ;  one  whose  wisdom 
and  learning  they  all  admired,  and  upon  whom 
some  of  us  younger  Bishops  leaned  as  on  a  staff 
of  support. 

Even  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  will  accept  the  news 
of  his  death  as  another  pang  added  to  his  many 
afflictions.  He  recognized  the  Archbishop  as  his 
highest  Eepresentative  in  the  United  States,  and 
he  loved  and  cherished  him  as  a  younger  brother. 

But  this  grief  is  not  confined  to  those  who  are  of 
the  household  of  the  faith.  It  extends  to  all  classes 
and  creeds  of  the  Community.  The  great  heart  of 
Baltimore  has  mourned  him  as  well  became  the 
Queen  City  of  the  South  lamenting  one  of  her 
greatest  citizens.  You  saw  the  whole  city  shedding 
a  tear  of  sorrow  over  his  bier. 

Neither  wealth  nor  power  nor  station  could 
draw  forth  such  heartfelt  and  universal  respect  as 
was  paid  to  the  remains  of  Archbishop  Spalding. 
He  had  won  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

And  you  have  read  the  notices  of  his  life  in  the 
press  throughout  the  land ;  they  but  re-echoed  the 
sentiments  of  this  Archiepiscopal  See.  And  you 
rejoiced  at  this  spontaneous  and  unanimous  tribute 
of  praise,  because  you  considered  that  honor  paid 


ARCHBISHOP  SPALDING  221 

to  yourselves  which  was  bestowed  upon  your 
father. 

Yes,  you  possess  beneath  this  venerable  Cathe- 
dral his  mortal  remains.  But  the  nation,  the 
Church  at  large,  will  guard  his  memory  and  his 
fame.  Yo^i  bore  the  drooping  flower  to  its  place. 
But  up  from  this  Church  springs  the  odor  of  his 
virtues,  which  will  shed  around  thousands  of  homes 
a  sweet,  delicious  and  hallowed  fragrance  for  ages 
to  come. 

I  shall  not  attempt  even  a  brief  sketch  of  the 
Archbishop's  life.  That  task  was  ably  accom- 
plished in  his  Funeral  Sermon  by  his  venerable 
brother  of  New  York.  But  bear  with  me  while  I 
dwell  for  a  few  moments  on  my  personal  relations 
with  your  beloved  Archbishop ;  while  I  allude  to  a 
few  traits  of  his  character  and  mention  some  inci- 
dents of  his  brilliant  and  eventful  life.  My  heart 
and  my  memory  are  full  of  him,  and  ^'from  the 
fulness  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh.^' 

My  acquaintance  with  the  Archbishop  em- 
braced indeed  only  the  seven  last  years  of  his  life ; 
commencing  in  1865,  when  he  called  me  to  the 
Cathedral,  and  ending  with  his  death.  But  during 
all  that  time,  my  relations  with  him  were  of  a  most 
intimate  and  affectionate  nature. 

I  reverenced  him  as  a  father ;  and  he  deigned  to 
honor  me  as  a  son. 

While  attached  to  the  Cathedral,  I  was  his  usual 


222        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

companion  in  the  various  journeys  he  made 
through  the  United  States,  either  for  duty  or  recre- 
ation. The  Archbishop  selected  me  because  I  could 
be  better  spared  to  the  Cathedral  than  either  of  my 
two  cherished  companions ;  one  of  whom  is  now  the 
honored  Bishop  of  Chicago,  and  the  other  has  just 
followed  his  master  to  his  eternal  reward. 

It  was  also  my  distinguished  privilege  to  accom- 
pany His  Grace  to  the  great  Ecumenical  Council  of 
the  Vatican.  I  was  his  inseparable  companion  in 
our  voyage  across  the  Atlantic;  during  our  sojourn 
in  England,  in  France,  in  Italy  and  in  Eome.  For 
ten  months  we  sat  at  the  same  table  and  slept  under 
the  same  roof.  During  all  this  time  I  had  an  excel- 
lent opportunity  of  studying  his  character,  and  of 
observing  those  hidden  springs  which  gave  a 
motive-power  to  his  public  acts. 

During  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  the  Arch- 
bishop was  accustomed  to  relax  his  overtaxed  ener- 
gies by  devoting  a  few  weeks  each  Summer  to 
recreation.  He  was  very  particular,  in  commencing 
his  journey,  to  recite  the  Itinerarmm,  a  collection 
of  prayers  recommended  to  travellers.  Having 
committed  his  soul  to  God,  he  had  no  fear  of  acci- 
dents. 

He  always  utilized  and  sanctified  those  days  of 
recreation  by  consecrating  them  to  the  service  of 
religion.  On  visiting  one  of  the  mountain-springs 
or  the  seashore,  his  first  inquiry  was  whether  the 


ARCHBISHOP  SPALDING  223 

neighborhood  contained  a  church  or  chapel  and 
stationary  priest.  Otherwise,  he  made  provision 
at  once  for  Sunday  service  to  be  held  in  an  apart- 
ment of  the  hotel.  He  almost  invariably  preached ; 
and  the  fame  of  his  name  was  always  sure  to  enlist 
a  large  and  delighted  congregation. 

On  the  last  of  these  occasions  when  I  was  with 
the  Archbishop,  he  preached  in  a  rustic  chapel  in 
West  Virginia.  The  people  gathered  from  the 
neighborhood  to  hear  him ;  and  among  others,  were 
several  mothers  with  their  infants  at  their  breasts. 
During  the  sermon,  these  babes  kept  up  unceasing 
cries  to  the  great  inconvenience  of  the  preacher 
and  the  annoyance  of  the  congregation.  One  of  the 
parishioners  proceeded  to  remove  the  disturbers. 
But  the  Archbishop  forbade  the  mothers  to  be 
excluded,  remarking  to  me,  as  we  returned  to  the 
hotel:  ^'I  would  suffer  any  inconvenience  r.ather 
than  deprive  those  poor  mothers  of  the  satisfac- 
tion of  hearing  Mass  and  of  listening  to  the  word 
of  God.'' 

On  the  occasion  of  this  visit  to  the  Springs,  the 
Archbishop  was  informed  that  the  proprietor  of 
the  hotel  had  fallen  away  from  the  religion  of  his 
ancestors,  and  had  also  modified  the  spelling  of 
his  name.  Desiring  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance 
of  his  Grace,  he  asked  the  Archbishop  whether  he 
spelt  his  name  Spaulding,  or  omitted  the  letter  il 
Sir,  the  Archbishop  briskly  replied,  the  Spaldings 


224        A  RETROSPECT  OF  EIFTY  YEARS 

who  never  changed  their  faith,  have  never  altered 
the  spelling  of  their  name.  They  were  never 
ashamed  of  their  faith  or  their  name. 

The  style  of  his  preaching  was  eminently  prac- 
tical. Though  his  discourses  possessed  a  depth  of 
reasoning  and  a  sublimity  of  thought  calculated  to 
rivet  the  attention  of  the  most  enlightened  audi- 
ence, they  were  always  sufficiently  plain  to  be 
within  the  level  of  the  simplest  understanding.  His 
preaching  was  not  for  display,  but  for  spiritual 
profit.  ^^His  speech,"  like  that  of  St.  Paul,  ^^was 
not  in  the  persuasive  words  of  human  wisdom,  but 
in  the  showing  of  the  spirit  and  power  of  God." 
He  had  so  clear  a  perception  of  the  truth,  that  he 
was  impatient  of  error.  Yet  he  never  wilfully  gave 
offense  to  his  dissenting  brethren.  I  have  often 
heard  him  expose  in  emphatic  terms  the  errors  of 
the  day ;  yet  his  non-Catholic  hearers,  though  win- 
cing under  the  strokes  of  his  keen  logic,  left  the 
church  in  the  best  of  humor  with  the  preacher. 
And  why!  Because  they  saw  in  the  venerable 
Archbishop  an  openness  of  countenance,  a  candor 
of  expression,  an  earnestness  of  manner,  which 
convinced  his  hearers  that  he  spoke  from  the  depth 
of  his  heart. 

The  secret  of  the  Archbishop 's  effective  preach- 
ing lay  in  his  strong,  practical  faith.  Faith  was  the 
principle  of  his  actions.  He  believed  intensely,  and 
therefore  he  spoke  eloquently.    I  had  the  melan- 


AECHBISHOP  SPALDING  225 

choly  satisfaction  of  spending  several  hours  with 
his  Grace  during  his  last  illness,  and  I  had  a  rare 
opportunity  of  admiring  his  cloudless  belief  and 
tender  piety. 

On  the  Friday  before  his  death  I  said  Mass  in  his 
room,  and  administered  to  him  the  Holy  Viaticum ; 
and,  at  his  request,  I  read  for  him  the  Profession 
of  Catholic  Faith,  while  two  Sisters  of  Charity,  his 
faithful  nurses,  knelt  beside  him.  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  energy  and  warmth  of  his  expression  of 
belief  on  that  occasion,  and  which  would  leave  the 
impression  on  one's  mind  that  he  had  learned  the 
truths  of  religion  less  by  study  than  by  intuition. 
Every  feature  of  his  countenance  bore  the  char- 
acter of  these  words  stamped  upon  it,  '^7  believe/' 
"Would  that  we  had  that  face  photographed,  as  it 
appeared  in  those  moments.  It  would  be  a  most 
eloquent  sermon  to  unbelievers. 

His  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  and  to 
the  prerogatives  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  were 
peculiarly  striking.  Not  indeed  because  he 
believed  these  doctrines  more  than  the  others ;  but 
in  the  magnanimity  of  his  soul  these  articles  of 
faith  were  more  frequently  on  his  lips,  because 
they  were  the  more  constant  object  of  attack  in 
our  times. 

You  can  bear  me  witness,  members  of  this  Con- 
gregation, that  seldom  did  he  preach  without  intro- 
ducing the  name  of  Mary,  whose  name  he  pro- 


226        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

nounced  with  an  expression  of  sucli  tender  piety. 
He  was  fond  of  calling  lier,  in  the  language  of  the 
Poet  Wordsworth,  "Our  tainted  nature's  solitary 
boast.'' 

He  was  ever  ready  to  defend  the  faith  and  honor 
of  the  Church,  no  matter  in  what  situation  he  was 
placed.  He  defended  her  in  railroad  cars;  in 
steamboats,  and  in  private  parlors.  No  question 
ever  remained  unanswered  in  his  presence.  No 
insult  to  her  ever  went  unrebuked.  I  have  often 
seen  him  beard  the  lion  in  his  den.  I  heard  him  in 
Italy  rebuke  an  Italian  diplomatist  for  the  conduct 
of  his  government  toward  the  Holy  See.  I  saw 
him  in  presence  of  a  member  of  the  Italian  Parlia- 
ment condemn  its  line  of  conduct  toward  the  Pope. 
He  had  the  courage  in  the  presence  of  an  excitable 
European  soldiery  to  express  his  abhorrence, 
when  he  saw  them  desecrate  a  church  by  using  it 
for  profane  purposes. 

Under  a  head  sound  in  faith,  the  Archbishop 
carried  a  large  heart  overflowing  with  paternal 
kindness  for  all  his  children.  You,  respected 
Brethren  of  the  clergy,  had  justly  the  first  place 
in  his  affections.  You  were,  as  he  said,  "his  joy 
and  his  crown. ' '  He  loved  you  as  faithful  colabor- 
ers,  "who  had  borne  with  him  the  burden  of  the 
day  and  the  heats."  Whenever  you  came  as 
guests  to  his  house,  he  welcomed  you  with  open 
arms  and  personally  provided  for  your  comforts. 


AKCHBISHOP  SPALDING  227 

He  had  a  peculiar  fondness  for  children  because 
under  a  hoary  head  of  wisdom  he  concealed  the 
heart  of  a  child.  Years  make  our  heads  old.  Mal- 
ice alone  brings  wrinkles  on  the  heart.  With  his 
divine  Master  he  said :  ^ '  Suffer  the  little  children 
to  come  to  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. ' '  You  might  observe  him 
at  private  family  circles  overlook  the  older  mem- 
bers of  the  household  and  play  with  the  children. 
Those  innocent  pastimes  were  not  only  a  source  of 
pleasure  to  the  little  ones,  but  moments  of  intense 
delight  to  the  good  Archbishop  himself. 

To  an  affectionate  disposition  he  united  a  touch- 
ing simplicity  of  manners,  an  alertness  of  soul 
which  won  all  hearts.  Although  he  had  travelled 
extensively  abroad,  had  seen  much  of  the  world, 
and  had  mingled  a  great  deal  in  high  society,  this 
artlessness  and  naturalness  of  manner  never  aban- 
doned him.  It  was  exhibited  in  his  dress,  in  his 
speech.  It  appeared  before  the  rich,  as  well  as  the 
poor.  Even  when  his  Grace  entertained  Cardinals 
in  Eome;  or  when  he  was  received  by  the  Holy 
Father  himself,  he  never  made  any  effort  at  stud- 
ied formality,  but  was  always  the  same  plain,  out- 
spoken Martin  John  Spalding. 

This  living  faith,  this  paternal  love,  was  the 
secret  fire  nourishing  that  burning  zeal  which 
consumed  the  heart  of  the  great  Archbishop.  The 
activity  of  his  life  was  unceasing.  Though  he  had  a 


228        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

secretary,  lie  usually  discharged  himself  the  duties 
of  that  office.  He  was  in  daily  correspondence 
with  Kome  and  with  European  Prelates ;  with  the 
Bishops  of  the  United  States,  and  with  his  own 
clergy.  "Works  of  varied  erudition  were  issuing, 
at  regular  intervals,  from  his  ready  pen.  Like  his 
great  Prototype,  St.  Paul,  ^'he  had  a  solicitude  for 
all  the  churches.''  He  took  a  lively  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  distant  dioceses  and  was  always  ready 
to  give  a  helping  hand  to  a  suffering  brother 
Bishop. 

His  labors  in  behalf  of  his  own  diocese  were 
prodigious.  When  he  came  to  Baltimore,  the  zeal 
of  his  illustrious  predecessors  seemed  to  have  left 
little  for  him  to  do.  But  we  beheld  him  constantly 
employed  in  opening  new  fields  of  labor.  He 
erected  several  churches ;  established  Communities 
of  men  and  women;  built  parochial  schools,  the 
last  being  the  Metropolitan  School  in  the  Cathe- 
dral Parish.  He  introduced  into  his  diocese  Eng- 
lish Missionaries  to  minister  to  the  colored  popula- 
tion. His  crowning  work  was  the  erection  of  the 
Industrial  School  for  Boys,  in  which  great  under- 
taking he  was  substantially  aided  by  the  vener- 
able Pastor  of  St.  Peter's.*  The  Archbishop  took 
a  special  pride  in  this  Institution,  remarking  that 
the  only  reward  he  hoped  for  was  to  have  the  boys 
of  the  Protectory  assist  at  his  funeral  and  pray 

*  Rt.  Rev.  Mgr.  McColgan. 


ARCHBISHOP  SPALDING  229 

for  his  soul.  Truly  can  we  say  of  him :  "Consum- 
matus  in  hrevi,  expievit  tempora  multa/'  Like 
Pope  Sixtus  V,  he  compressed  within  the  space  of 
^ve  or  six  years  the  work  of  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. 

When  we  consider  the  great  works  accom- 
plished in  this  archdiocese  in  six  years,  we  know 
not  which  to  admire  most, — the  liberality  of  the 
people;  the  active  zeal  of  the  clergy;  or  the  judi- 
cious government  of  your  spiritual  Chief.  To  the 
faithful  all  praise  is  to  be  accorded,  because  they 
always  responded  to  the  calls  of  religion.  You, 
Eeverend  Clergy  of  this  diocese,  are  above  all 
praise.  But  while  we  recognize  the  merits  of  the 
soldiers  and  their  captains,  what  credit  is  due  to 
your  leader,  whose  eagle  eye  overlooked  the  field, 
and  whose  comprehensive  mind  directed  the  work? 
He  infused  fresh  energy  into  all  your  undertak- 
ings, and  assisted  you  to  bear  your  burden.  Oh! 
it  was  an  honor  to  fight  under  such  a  general.  It 
was  a  pleasure  to  labor  under  such  a  master. 

Catholics  of  Baltimore,  God  has  blessed  you 
with  a  noble  line  of  Prelates,  who  would  favorably 
compare  with  the  hierarchy  of  any  See  in  Chris- 
tendom. The  names  of  the  seven  Archbishops  of 
Baltimore — Carroll,  Neale,  Marechal,  Whitfield, 
Eccleston,  Kenrick,  Spalding — shine  forth  as  stars 
of  the  first  magnitude  in  the  grand  Constellation 
:of  Deceased  American  Prelates.    They  will  ever 


230        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

serve  as  shining  lights,  guiding  by  their  example, 
those  that  arc  to  come  after  them  in  the  path  of 
virtue  and  apostolic  wisdom.  The  last  two  have 
been  endeared  to  me  by  special  ties  of  gratitude. 
By  the  former  I  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood, 
and  I  was  consecrated  Bishop  at  the  hands  of  the 
latter.  Those  two  Prelates  are  familiar  to  most 
of  you.  And  we  cannot  think  of  the  great  Spalding 
without  being  reminded  of  the  good  Kenrick.  Each 
of  them  had  his  distinguished  traits  of  character. 
If  I  would  venture  to  institute  a  comparison  be- 
tween the  two  Baltimore  Archbishops  and  some 
prototypes  of  the  early  Church,  I  think  that  Am- 
brose and  Augustine  exhibited  certain  traits  which 
were  found  also  in  Kenrick  and  Spalding. 

St.  Augustine  in  his  Confessions  gives  us  a 
charming  picture  of  the  studious  and  prayerful 
habits  and  the  accessibility  of  the  Bishop  of  Milan, 
which  find  a  counterpart  in  the  domestic  life  of 
Kenrick  during  his  administration  of  the  diocese 
of  Baltimore.  His  leisure  hours  were  usually 
spent  in  the  perusal  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  and 
the  writings  of  the  Fathers  with  which  he  was  so 
familiar.  His  door,  like  that  of  Ambrose,  was 
usually  ajar,  and  no  matter  who  called,  whether 
the  cultured  layman  or  Prelate,  the  peasant  or  the 
child,  they  were  all  received  with  kindness  and 
affability,  and  the  Archbishop  had  the  happy  fac- 
ulty of  adapting  himself  to  the  intellectual  stand- 


AECHBISHOP  SPALDING  231 

ard  of  each  one.  As  soon  as  the  visitor  departed, 
he  quietly  resumed  his  studies,  as  if  no  interrup- 
tion had  occurred. 

While  Archbishop  Spalding  laid  no  claim  to  the 
lofty  genius  of  Augustine,  he  emulated  the  Bishop 
of  Hippo  in  his  indomitable  zeal  for  God's  Church, 
in  vindicating  the  truths  of  the  Catholic  religion, 
and  in  confronting  the  errors  of  the  day. 

We  stand  amazed  and  are  filled  with  awe  when 
we  contemplate  the  dozen  of  folio  volumes  of  the 
African  Bishop,  burdened  as  he  was  with  the 
administration  of  his  diocese.  We  are  also  sur- 
prised and  edified  (of  course  in  a  less  degree)  that 
the  American  Prelate  could  have  spared  the  time 
to  write  '* Evidences  of  Catholicity,"  ^'The  Life  of 
Bishop  Flaget,"  ^'The  History  of  the  Protestant 
Eef ormation, "  and  his  ^'Miscellanea,"  notwith- 
standing the  physical  infirmities  which  he  endured 
for  many  years. 

I  may  add,  moreover,  that  the  friendship  which 
subsisted  between  Ambrose  and  Augustine,  also 
marked  the  relations  between  Archbishops  Spald- 
ing and  Kenrick  during  their  episcopal  career. 

Kenrick  reminds  us  of  the  Prince  of  the  Apos- 
tles, holding  the  keys  of  authority.  His  decisions 
were  received  not  only  with  reverence  at  home,  but 
with  honor  abroad. 

Spalding  is  like  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
wielding  the  two-edged  sword  of  the  spirit,  the 


232        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

STivord  of  the  tongue  and  of  the  pen.  ^^His  sound 
hath  gone  forth  into  all  the  earth,  and  his  words 
unto  the  ends  of  the  world.'' 

It  is  sad  to  think  that  we  shall  never  look  upon 
his  face  again.  But  I  would  not  have  you  without 
hope,  my  Brethren.  That  great  soul  of  his  yet 
*4ives  and  moves  and  has  its  being.''  That  kind 
heart  breathes  love  for  you  still.  Having  loved 
you  in  life,  he  loves  you  in  death.  Could  the  veil 
be  uplifted,  we  might  see  him  praying  for  his 
beloved  Baltimore,  as  Judas  Maccabeus  saw  Jere- 
miah after  death  praying  for  his  beloved  Jerusa- 
lem. 

He  says  to  our  hearts  today:  *'I  will  not 
leave  you  orphans.  You  have  now  sorrow,  but  I 
shall  see  you  again.  And  your  heart  shall  rejoice. 
God  will  send  you  another  comforter,  another 
father, ' '  O,  obtain  this  favor  for  us  through  your 
intercession  from  the  divine  Shepherd  of  Souls. 
Obtain  for  the  people  a  worthy  successor.  We  ask 
for  none  better  than  thyself.  Solicit  for  them  one 
according  to  thine  own  model.  Beseech  for  them  a 
Shepherd  like  thyself,  who  will  lead  his  flock  to 
wholesome  pastures.  Obtain  for  them  a  leader  such 
as  thou  wert,  who  will  march  before  thy  people, 
conquering  and  to  conquer.  Give  them  a  Judge 
that  like  thee  will  always  temper  justice  with 
mercy.    Give  them  a  Father  as  thou  wert,  who  will 


ARCHBISHOP  SPALDING  333 

welcome  his  clergy  and  people  with  paternal  kind- 
ness. 

Then  having  sown  in  tears,  thy  people  will  reap 
in  joy.  Then  this  widowed  church  will  cast  off 
her  weeds  of  mourning,  and  be  again  clothed  in 
garments  of  gladness.  Then  we  shall  see  and 
love  and  reverence  thee  in  thy  successor.  Then 
we  will  say:  *^Our  father  who  was  lost  is  found. 
Having  been  dead  he  is  come  to  life  again  I'' 


THE  FUNERAL 

OF 

GENERAL  SHERIDAN 


SERMON  PREACHED  IN  ST.  MATTHEW'S 

CHURCH,  WASHINGTON,   D.   C,  AT 

THE  FUNERAL  OF  GENERAL 

SHERIDAN,  AUGUST.  1 888. 

And  Jonathan  and  Simon  took  Judas  their  brother,  and 
buried  him  In  the  sepulchre  of  their  fathers,  in  the  city  of 
Modin.  And  all  the  people  of  Israel  bewailed  him  with  great 
lamentation;  and  they  mourned  for  him  many  days,  and  said: 
How  Is  the  mighty  fallen  that  saved  the  people  of  Israel. 
I  Mach.  ix,  19,  21. 

Mr.  President  :*  Dearly  Beloved  Brethren : 

WELL  might  tlie  children  of  Israel  bewail 
their  great  Captain  who  had  led  them  so 
often  to  battle  and  to  victory.  And  well 
might  this  nation  grieve  for  the  loss  of  the  mighty 
chieftain  whose  mortal  remains  now  lie  before  us. 
In  every  city  and  town  and  village  of  the  country 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  his  name  is  uttered 
with  sorrow  and  his  great  deeds  recorded  with 
admiration. 

There  is  one  consoling  feature  that  distinguishes 
the  obsequies  of  our  illustrious  hero  from  those  of 

*  President  Cleveland  attended  the  funeral  obsequies. 

234 


GENERAL  SHERIDAN  235 

the  great  Hebrew  leader.  He  was  buried  in  the 
midst  of  war,  amid  the  clashing  of  arms  and 
surrounded  by  the  armed  hosts  of  the  enemy: 
our  Captain,  thank  God,  is  buried  amid  profound 
peace,  while  we  are  enjoying  the  blessings  of 
domestic  tranquility  and  are  in  friendship  with 
all  the  world. 

The  death  of  General  Sheridan  will  be  lamented 
not  only  by  the  North  but  also  by  the  South.  I 
know  the  Southern  people,  I  know  their  chivalry. 
I  know  their  magnanimity,  their  warm  and  affec- 
tionate nature ;  and  I  am  sure  that  the  sons  of  the 
Southland,  especially  those  who  fought  in  the  late 
war,  will  join  in  the  national  lamentation  and  will 
lay  a  garland  of  mourning  on  the  bier  of  the  great 
Leader.  They  recognize  the  fact  that  the  nation's 
General  is  dead  and  that  his  death  is  the  nation's 
loss. 

And  this  universal  sympathy  coming  from  all 
sections  of  the  country,  irrespective  of  party  lines 
is  easily  accounted  for  when  we  consider  that  under 
an  overruling  Providence,  the  war  has  resulted  in 
increased  blessings  to  every  state  of  our  common 
country. 

"There's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  how  we  will." 

And  this  is  true  of  nations  as  well  as  of  indi- 
viduals. 


236        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

"What  constitutes  the  great  difference  between 
the  wars  of  antiquity  and  our  recent  civil  conflict? 
The  wars  of  olden  time  were  followed  by  subjuga- 
tion and  bondage :  in  the  train  of  our  great  strug- 
gles came  reconciliation  and  freedom.  Alexander 
the  Great  waded  through  the  blood  of  his  fel- 
low man.  By  the  sword  he  conquered  and  by 
the  sword  he  kept  the  vanquished  in  bondage. 
Scarcely  was  he  cold  in  death  when  his  vassals 
shook  off  the  yoke  and  his  empire  was  dismem- 
bered into  fragments. 

The  effect  of  the  late  war  has  been  to  weld  to- 
gether the  nation  still  more  closely  into  one  cohes- 
ive body,  it  has  removed  once  for  all  slavery,  the 
great  apple  of  discord,  it  has  broken  down  the 
wall  of  separation  which  divided  section  from  sec- 
tion and  exhibits  us  more  strikingly  as  one  nation, 
one  family,  with  the  same  aims  and  the  same  aspir- 
ations. 

As  an  evidence  that  the  scars  of  the  Civil  War 
have  been  completely  healed,  and  that  a  bright  era 
of  fraternity  and  good  will  has  succeeded  the  dark 
days  of  internecine  strife,  we  behold  monuments 
erected  to  conquered  generals  in  different  parts  of 
the  country;  and  soldiers  who  had  fought  under  the 
Confederate  and  Union  flags,  are  peacefully  as- 
sembled together  in  the  Halls  of  Federal  and  State 
legislation,  framing  laws  for  the  welfare  of  a  re- 
united country. 


GENERAL  SHERIDAN  237 

In  surveying  the  life  of  General  Sheridan,  it 
seems  to  me  that  these  were  the  prominent  fea- 
tures and  the  salient  points  in  his  character — • 
undaunted  heroism  combined  with  gentleness  of 
disposition;  strong  as  a  lion  in  war,  gentle  as  a 
child  in  peace;  bold,  daring,  fearless,  undismayed, 
unhesitating,  his  courage  rising  with  danger,  ever 
fertile  in  resources,  ever  prompt  in  execution,  his 
rapid  movements  never  impelled  by  a  blind  im- 
pulse, but  ever  prompted  by  a  calculating  mind. 

I  have  neither  the  time  nor  the  ability  to  dwell 
upon  his  military  career  from  the  time  he  left 
West  Point  till  the  close  of  the  war. 

Sheridan  was  a  soldier  of  indomitable  courage. 
He  had  no  sense  of  fear,  or  if  he  had,  he  never 
betrayed  it.  Like  Napoleon,  he  also  exercised  a 
magnetic  influence  over  his  men.  He  inspired  them 
with  the  intrepidity  which  ruled  in  his  own  breast. 
Under  his  command  they  had  no  thought  of  defeat. 
The  absolute  confidence  which  his  soldiers  under 
him  had  in  General  Sheridan,  and  the  courage 
which  his  presence  inspired,  are  strikingly  illus- 
trated in  the  battle  near  Cedar  Creek  in  the  valley 
of  Virginia,  during  the  Civil  "War.  While  Sheri- 
dan was  briefly  absent  in  Washington,  the  Union 
soldiers  were  attacked  and  routed  by  the  Confed- 
erate troops.  General  Sheridan,  learning  of  the 
discomfiture  of  his  forces,  rides  with  all  speed 
from  Winchester  till  he  meets  and  rallies  his  re- 


238         A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

treating  army.  By  the  glance  of  his  eye,  by  the 
strength  of  his  will,  by  the  magic  of  his  word,  he 
forces  back  that  living  stream  on  the  enemy  and 
snatches  victory  from  the  jaws  of  defeat.  This 
one  incident  reveals  to  us  his  qniclaiess  of  concep- 
tion and  readiness  of  execution. 

General  Grant  had  an  unbounded  admiration 
for  the  military  genius  of  Sheridan  and  always 
felt  a  sense  of  confidence  and  security  when  his 
favorite  executive  officer  was  fighting  under  him. 
In  fact,  though  General  Grant  was  singularly  cau- 
tious and  reserved  in  speech,  and  sparing  of  praise, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  pronounce  Sheridan  one  of 
the  greatest  generals  of  his  day. 

How  bold  in  war,  how  gentle  in  peace !  On  some 
few  occasions  in  "Washington  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  General  Sheridan  socially  in  private 
circles.  I  was  forcibly  struck  by  his  gentle  dis- 
position, his  amiable  manner,  his  unassuming  de- 
portment, his  eye  beaming  with  good  nature  and 
his  voice  scarcely  raised  above  a  whisper.  I  said 
to  myself :  Is  this  bashful  man  and  retiring  citizen 
the  great  Captain  of  the  American  Army?  Is  this 
the  hero  of  so  many  battles? 

It  is  true  General  Sheridan  has  been  charged 
with  being  sometimes  unnecessarily  severe  to- 
wards the  enemy.  My  conversations  with  him 
strongly  impressed  me  with  the  groundlessness  of 
a  charge,  which  could  in  no  wise  be  reconciled  with 


GENERAL  SHERIDAN  239 

the  abhorence  which  he  expressed  for  the  atrocities 
of  war,  with  his  natural  aversion  to  bloodshed  and 
with  the  hope  he  uttered  that  he  would  never  again 
be  obliged  to  draw  his  sword  against  an  enemy.  I 
am  persuaded  that  the  sentiments  of  humanity 
ever  found  a  congenial  home,  a  secure  lodgment 
in  the  breast  of  General  Sheridan.  Those  who  are 
best  acquainted  with  his  military  career,  unite  in 
saying  that  he  never  needlessly  sacrificed  human 
life,  and  that  he  loved  and  cared  for  his  soldiers 
as  a  father  loves  and  cares  for  his  children. 

But  we  must  not  forget  that  if  the  departed  hero 
was  a  soldier,  he  was  also  a  citizen ;  and  if  we  wish 
to  know  how  a  man  stands  as  a  citizen,  we  must 
ask  ourselves  how  he  stands  as  a  son,  a  husband 
and  father.  The  parent  is  the  source  of  the  family, 
the  family  is  the  source  of  the  nation.  Social  life 
is  the  reflex  of  family  life.  The  stream  does  not 
rise  above  its  source.  Those  who  were  admitted 
into  the  inner  circle  of  General  Sheridan's  home, 
need  not  be  told  that  it  was  a  peaceful  and  happy 
one.  He  was  a  fond  husband  and  an  affectionate 
father,  lovingly  devoted  to  his  wife  and  children.  I 
hope  I  am  not  trespassing  upon  the  sacred  privacy 
of  domestic  life,  when  I  state  that  the  GeneraVs 
sickness  was  accelerated,  if  not  aggravated,  by  a 
fatiguing  journey,  which  he  made  in  order  to  be 
home  in  time  to  assist  at  a  religious  domestic  cele- 


240        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

bration  in  wliicli  one  of  his  children  was  the  central 
figure. 

Above  all,  General  Sheridan  was  a  Christian. 
He  died  fortified  by  the  consolations  of  religion, 
having  his  trust  in  the  saving  mercies  of  our  Ee- 
deemer  and  an  humble  hope  in  a  blessed  immor- 
tality. 

What  is  life  without  the  hope  of  immortality! 
What  is  life  that  is  bounded  by  the  horizon  of  the 
tomb?  Surely  it  is  not  worth  living.  What  is  the 
life  even  of  the  antediluvian  patriarchs  but  like 
the  mist  which  is  dispelled  by  the  morning  sun? 
What  would  it  profit  this  illustrious  hero  to  go 
down  to  his  honored  grave  covered  with  earthly 
glory,  if  he  had  no  hope  in  the  eternal  glory  to 
come?  It  is  the  hope  of  eternal  life  that  consti- 
tutes at  once  our  dignity  and  our  moral  responsi- 
bility. 

God  has  planted  in  the  human  breast  an  irresist- 
ible desire  for  immortality.  It  is  born  with  us  and 
lives  and  moves  with  us.  It  inspires  our  best  and 
holiest  actions.  Now  God  would  not  have  given  us 
this  desire  if  He  did  not  intend  that  it  should  be 
fully  satisfied.  He  would  not  have  given  us  this 
thirst  for  infinite  happiness  if  he  had  not  intended 
to  assuage  it.  He  never  created  anything  in  vain. 
Thanks  to  God,  this  universal  yearning  of  the 
human  heart  is  sanctioned  and  vindicated  by  the 
voice  of  revelation. 


GENERAL  SIIEEIDAN  241 

The  inspired  word  of  God  not  only  proclaims  the 
immortality  of  the  soul,  but  also  the  future  resur- 
rection of  the  body:  ''I  know/'  says  the  Prophet 
Job,  ''that  my  Eedeemer  liveth,  and  that  on  the 
last  day  I  shall  rise  out  of  the  earth  and  in  my 
flesh  I  shall  see  my  God. ''  ''  Wonder  not  at  this, ' ' 
says  our  Saviour,  ''for  the  hour  cometh  when  all 
that  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of 
the  Son  of  Man,  and  they  who  have  done  well,  shall 
come  forth  to  the  resurrection  of  life,  and  they 
who  have  done  ill,  to  the  resurrection  of  judg- 
ment. ' ' 

And  the  Apostle  writes  these  comforting  words 
to  the  Thessalonians :  "I  would  not  have  you 
ignorant,  brethren,  concerning  those  that  are 
asleep,  that  ye  be  not  sorrowful  even  as  others  who 
have  no  hope;  for  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died 
and  rose  again,  even  so  those  who  have  died  in 
Jesus,  God  will  raise  unto  himself.  Therefore 
comfort  yourselves  with  these  words.''  These  are 
the  words  of  comfort  I  would  address  to  you, 
Madam,  the  faithful  consort  of  the  illustrious  dead. 
This  is  the  olive  branch  of  peace  and  hope  I  would 
bring  you  today.  This  is  the  silver  lining  of  the 
cloud  which  hangs  over  you.  We  followed  you  in 
spirit  and  with  sympathizing  hearts  as  you  knelt 
in  prayer  at  the  bed  of  your  dying  husband.  May 
the  God  of  all  consolation  comfort  you  in  this  hour 


242        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

of  sorrow,  and  may  it  be  your  daily  solace  to 
pray  for  the  repose  of  his  immortal  soul. 

Comrades  and  companions  of  the  illustrious 
dead,  take  hence  your  great  leader,  bear  him  to  his 
last  resting  place,  carry  him  gently,  lovingly ;  and 
though  you  may  not  hope  to  attain  his  exalted 
rank,  you  will  strive  at  least  to  emulate  him  by 
the  integrity  of  your  private  life,  by  your  devotion 
to  your  country  and  by  upholding  the  honor  of 
your  military  profession. 

But  as  you  lay  his  body  to  rest  do  not  forget 
also  to  breathe  a  prayer  to  Almighty  God  that  the 
soul  of  this  great  military  leader  may  be  this  day 
in  peace  and  his  abode  in  Sion ;  may  his  memory 
be  ever  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  his  country- 
men, and  may  this  great  country  which  he  loved 
and  served  so  well,  ever  be  among  the  foremost 
nations  of  the  earth,  the  favored  land  of  constitu- 
tional freedom,  strong  in  the  loyalty  of  its  patriot 
citizens,  and  in  the  genius  and  valor  of  its  soldiers 
till  time  shall  be  no  more. 


ADDRESS  AT  THE  OBSEQUIES 
OF  MICHAEL  JENKINS 


ADDRESS  AT  THE  OBSEQUIES  OF  MICHAEL 

JENKINS  IN  THE  CATHEDRAL. 

SEPTEMBER  11,  1915. 

IT  would  have  been  a  labor  of  love  to  me  to 
preach  at  the  funeral  obsequies  of  my  be- 
loved friend,  but  I  am  so  overwhelmed  by 
grief  that  I  feel  incapable  of  pronouncing  a 
formal  discourse,  a  duty  which  I  have  requested 
the  Bishop  of  Wheeling  to  perform.  I  cannot, 
however,  deny  myself  the  melancholy  duty  of  lay- 
ing at  his  bier  the  tribute  of  my  affection  and  of 
a  friendship  which  has  lasted  for  nearly  fifty 
years. 

Michael  Jenkins  has  been  universally  acknowl- 
edged as  the  leading  citizen  of  Baltimore.  Walk- 
ing in  the  footsteps  of  his  honored  father,  the 
public  and  official  life  of  Michael  Jenkins  was 
marked  by  a  high  sense  of  justice  and  commercial 
honor  and  integrity.  If  any  business  came  before 
him  in  which  he  was  concerned,  he  would  never 
consider  what  was  beneficial  to  his  own  interests, 
but  he  would  ask  what  were  the  principles  of  jus- 
tice involved.    A  gentleman  was  once  asked  who 

243 


244        A  RETROSPECT  OF  EIETY  YEARS 

is  considered  the  highest  type  of  commercial  in- 
tegrity in  Baltimore.  The  prompt  answer  was: 
*' Michael  Jenkins.  We  regard  him  as  the  ideal 
business  man,  without  any  disparagement  of  the 
other  citizens  who  are  conspicuous  for  their  com- 
mercial honor." 

The  office  of  treasurer  was  gracefully  accepted 
by  Mr.  Jenkins  at  a  critical  period  of  the  Catholic 
University's  history,  and  the  prestige  of  his  name 
contributed  not  a  little  to  strengthen  public  con- 
fidence in  the  healthy  financial  stability  of  that 
cherished  Institution. 

He  was  conspicuous  for  his  civic  virtues.  He 
always  took  an  interest  in  the  welfare  and  improve- 
ment of  his  native  city.  But  he  helped  without 
ostentation.  He  was  fond  of  contributing  with  the 
toin  de  plume  of  Friend.  When  it  was  a  question  of 
obtaining  a  new  site  for  the  Maryland  Institute, 
the  late  Mayor  Latrobe  and  the  other  Trustees  of 
that  institution,  after  searching  the  city,  could  find 
no  place  so  suitable  for  the  new  building  as  the 
block  in  which  Corpus  Christi  church  is  situated 
on  Mt.  Eoyal  Avenue.  His  desire  was  that  the 
church  alone  should  occupy  the  block.  He  first 
refused  to  sell,  but  after  various  importunities  he 
made  the  city  a  donation  of  the  site  on  the  sole 
condition  that  the  new  edifice  should  be  so  con- 
structed as  not  to  obscure  the  view  of  the  Jenkins 
Memorial  Church. 


MICHAEL  JENKINS  245 

The  public  and  private  charities  of  our  friend 
were  unbounded  and  incessant,  but  like  his  Maste<r 
he  dispensed  his  benefactions  without  ostentation. 
He  tried  not  to  let  his  left  hand  know  what  his 
right  hand  did.  But  his  good  works,  like  those  of 
Christ,  could  not  be  concealed.  It  is  related  of  our 
Saviour  that  a  deaf  and  dumb  man  was  brought 
to  Him.  He  restored  the  man's  hearing  and  speech 
by  touching  his  ears  and  tongue,  and  He  charged 
the  multitude  that  they  should  not  publish  the 
miracle,  **but  the  more  He  charged  them,  so  much 
the  more  a  great  deal  did  they  publish  it,  and  so 
much  the  more  did  they  wonder,  saying:  He  hath 
done  all  things  well.  He  hath  made  both  the  deaf 
to  hear  and  the  dumb  to  speak. '' 

If  the  Master's  benefactions  could  not  be  con- 
cealed neither  could  those  of  His  disciple.  His 
reputation  for  generosity  was  widespread,  and 
hence  appeals  were  made  to  him  from  all  quarters, 
without  distinction  of  race  or  religion.  His  desk 
at  the  office  of  the  Safe  Deposit  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  was  President,  was  stacked  with 
petitions  for  relief.  He  used  to  speak  of  the  sub- 
ject without  petulance  or  annoyance,  in  a  good- 
humored  way,  and  aided  those  whom  he  found 
deserving  of  assistance. 

During  the  summer  before  making  his  usual  trip 
to  Vermont,  Mr.  Jenkins  sent  me  a  check  for  the 
Holy  Father  to  enable  His  Holiness  to  assist  the 


246        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

sufferers  from  the  war.  This  week  an  acknowl- 
edgment came  from  Eome,  in  which  the  Pope  sent 
Ms  blessing  to  the  benefactor.  A  few  hours  before 
his  death  I  mailed  him  the  letter  which  never  fell 
into  his  hands.  Mr.  Jenkins  regarded  himself  as 
not  the  absolute  owner  but  the  steward  of  the 
wealth  which  Providence  had  placed  in  his  hands, 
he  felt  the  force  of  the  axiom  that  our  greatest 
earthly  happiness  is  found  in  bringing  happiness 
to  others. 

His  domestic  life  was  most  attractive  and  edify- 
ing. He  was  very  much  attached  to  all  the  mem- 
bers of  his  family  and  particularly  to  his  surviving 
sister,  to  whom  we  offer  our  profound  sympathy. 

His  love  for  his  deceased  wife  was  most  tender 
and  unremitting.  He  used  to  say  that  she  always 
appeared  before  him  in  a  triple  character.  She 
was  his  wife,  his  sweetheart  and  his  companion. 
Their  whole  married  life  was  a  continuous  honey- 
moon. When  she  died  a  few  years  ago,  I  happened 
to  be  in  New  Orleans  and  I  hastened  home  to  be  in 
time  for  her  funeral.  I  am  persuaded  that  her  de- 
mise brought  a  shock  to  him  from  which  he  never 
rallied.  So  deep  was  his  affection  for  her  that  he 
could  never  be  persuaded  to  re-enter  the  city  house 
in  which  she  died,  or  the  country  residence  where 
they  spent  the  summer. 

Almost  every  day  of  his  life,  he  visited  her  tomb 
in  the  Jenkins  Memorial  Church,  erected  by  the 


MICHAEL  JENKINS  247 

munificence  of  his  family,  where  his  remains  will 
also  repose — and  he  laid  there  a  fresh  wreath  of 
fragrant  flowers,  and  there  also  the  incense  of  his 
prayers  in  her  behalf  ascended  to  the  throne  of  the 
Almighty. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Jenkins  is  a  personal  loss  to 
myself  which  cannot  be  fathomed.  His  departure 
has  left  a  void  in  my  heart  which  time  cannot  All. 
It  is  only  the  vital  and  consoling  influence  of  relig- 
ion that  can  reconcile  me  to  my  bereavement.  He 
was  my  constant  friend  and  benefactor.  He  even 
anticipated  my  wishes  in  lightening  my  burden. 

On  the  death  of  the  Emperor  Theodosius,  St. 
Ambrose,  Bishop  of  Milan,  preached  his  funeral 
sermon,  where  the  following  touching  words  are 
found:  ^'Give  perfect  rest  to  Thy  servant  Theo- 
dosius, that  rest  which  thou  hast  prepared  for  Thy 
Saints.  May  his  Soul  return  to  Thee  whence  it 
descended,  where  it  cannot  feel  the  sting  of  death. 
I  loved  him,  and  therefore  will  I  follow  him  even 
unto  the  land  of  the  living.  Nor  will  I  leave  him 
until  by  prayers  and  tears  he  shall  be  led  unto  the 
holy  mountain  of  the  Lord,  where  is  life  undying, 
where  corruption  is  not,  nor  sighing  nor  mourn- 
ing. ' ' 

0  beloved  and  cherished  Friend,  Thou  wast  a 
prince  among  merchants.  Thou  wast  an  uncrowned 
emperor  among  God^s  noblemen.  I  loved  thee  as 
dearly  as  Ambrose  loved  Theodosius,  and  like  that 


248        A  EETKOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

Pontiff,  I  will  register  a  vow  tliat  during  the  brief 
span  of  life  tliat  remains  to  me  on  earth,  I  will 
never  ascend  the  Altar  without  offering  up  the 
prayer  that  the  God  of  Mercy  may  speedily  call 
thee  to  Himself  and  make  thee  a  partaker  of  His 
everlasting  bliss  in  that  happy  country  where  death 
shall  be  no  more,  but  never  ending  joy  and  peace 
and  rest. 


WHAT  IS  A  SAINT? 


WHAT  IS  A  SAINT? 

PREACHED  IN  BALTIMORE  CATHEDRAL, 

NOVEMBER  5,  1899. 

Apocalypse  vll,  1-17. 

I  BELIEVE  that  a  great  many  well-disposed 
Christians  shrink  from  aspiring  to  holiness 
because  they  do  not  grasp  the  idea  as  to  the 
essential  conditions  of  sanctity. 

I  will  tell  you  this  morning,  first,  what  a  saint  is 
not,  and  then  what  constitutes  a  saint. 

There  are  some  who  imagine  that  a  saint  is  one 
of  whom  we  read  in  ancient  history  and  who  be- 
longs to  an  almost  extinct  species,  some  ante-de- 
luvian  who  flourished  like  the  giants  of  former 
ages,  or  King  Arthur's  Knights  of  the  Round 
Table,  but  whose  race  is  well-nigh  run  out,  and 
whose  place  is  now  rarely  found  on  earth. 

Now  thank  God,  the  generation  of  Saints  is  not 
extinct.  They  exist  in  our  day.  They  are  to  be 
found  in  this  city  and  under  our  own  eyes.  They 
are  in  every  congregation  of  Baltimore.  They 
sanctify  their  homes  by  the  integrity  of  their  char- 

249 


250        A  RETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

acter  and  by  their  domestic  virtues.  *^  Their  lives 
are  hidden  with  Christ  in  God. '  ^ 

And  these  noble  spirits  are  as  unconscious  of 
their  increase  in  holiness,  as  they  are  of  their 
physical  growth ;  this  is  all  the  better  for  them.  It 
is  only  when  they  begin  to  view  themselves  with 
complacency,  and  to  have  an  exalted  opinion  of 
themselves  that  they  take  a  step  backward,  and 
are  in  danger  of  imitating  the  Pharisee  who 
boasted  that  he  '>was  not  like  the  rest  of  men.'* 

There  are  others  who  fancy  that  to  be  a  Saint 
one  must  wear  the  cowl  of  a  monk,  or  the  habit 
of  a  nun,  or  the  surplice  and  cassock  of  a  priest. 
But  this  would  be  taking  a  very  narrow  view  of 
the  scheme  of  redemption.  The  Gospel  says  that 
,God  wishes  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth." 

Now  we  know  that  there  can  be  no  salvation 
without  sanctification.  The  words  of  Scripture: 
**Be  ye  holy,  for  I  the  Lord  your  God  am  holy*' 
were  addressed  to  priests  and  laymen  alike  in  the 
Old  Law.  They  certainly  apply  with  equal  force 
to  all  who  live  under  the  New  Dispensation.  A 
few  chosen  souls  are  called  to  the  religious  and 
apostolic  life.  But  thank  God,  Saints  innumerable 
are  found  among  the  laity  who  wear  no  special 
badge.  Their  only  distinctive  garb  is  the  invisible 
white   robe   of   innocence,    or   the   red   robe    of 


WHAT  IS  A  SAINT?  251 

charity,  or  the  purple  robe  of  mortification,  who, 
like  Paul,  ''die  daily''  to  themselves. 

There  are  others  again  who  entertain  the  notion 
that  to  be  Saints,  persons  must  spend  half  their 
time  in  prayer,  the  other  half  in  corporal  morti- 
fication. This  mode  of  life  would  suit  very  well  a 
holy  anchoret,  or  women  like  the  devout  Anna 
who  ''departed  not  from  the  temple,  but  by  fast- 
ings and  prayers,  worshipped  night  and  day.'* 

But  it  would  not  befit  the  bulk  of  Christians 
whose  daily  life  is  devoted  to  secular  and  do- 
mestic pursuits,  for  these  duties  cannot  be  omitted 
without  violating  conscience  and  deranging  the 
good  order  of  society  or  of  the  family. 

A  man  who  would  spend  in  church  the  time 
which  should  be  consecrated  to  his  business  affairs, 
would  be  apt  to  bring  religious  exercises  into  dis- 
repute by  performing  them  out  of  due  season.  It 
is  true  indeed  that  Mary  who  was  given  to  con- 
templation is  praised  by  the  Master  for  "having 
chosen  the  better  part,''  but  it  is  equally  true  that 
her  sister  Martha  who  was  occupied  in  household 
affairs,  had  a  share  in  the  esteem  and  benefaction 
of  our  Lord. 

There  are  others  who  picture  to  themselves  a 
saint  as  an  individual  of  a  sad  or  gloomy  dispo- 
sition, of  a  melancholy  and  dejected  aspect  like 
the  knight  of  the  sorrowful  figure.  Our  Saviour 
gives  us  a  different  view  of  a  servant  of  God.    He 


252        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

tells  us  tliat  even  in  our  penitential  acts,  we 
should  maintain  a  cheerful  demeanor.  *'A¥hen 
ye  fast,''  He  says,  '^be  not  like  the  hypocrites  sad, 
for  they  disfigure  their  faces  that  they  may  appear 
to  men  to  fast.  But  thou,  when  thou  fastest,  an- 
noint  thy  head,  and  wash  thy  face,  that  thou  appear 
not  to  men  to  fast  but  to  thy  Father  who  is  in 
secret,  and  thv  Father  who  seeth  in  secret  will 
repay  thee." 

The  Saints  are  conspicuous  for  habitual  cheer- 
fulness, because  they  have  an  upright  conscience, 
and  cheerfulness  is  the  fruition  of  a  good  con- 
science, or  of  a  soul  at  peace  with  God  and  men. 

Look  at  the  youth  and  maiden  who  have  pre- 
served their  baptismal  innocence.  The  joy  and 
candor  that  beam  on  their  countenances,  are  the 
outward  expression  of  God's  interior  sunshine 
irradiating  their  souls. 

"What  then  is  a  Saint?  A  Saint  is  one  who  keeps 
the  commandments  of  God  and  the  precepts  of  the 
Church,  and  discharges  with  fidelity  the  duties  of 
his  state  of  life. 

Another  characteristic  of  a  Saint  is  that  he  bears 
with  Christian  fortitude  and  patience  the  trials 
of  life,  whether  imposed  on  him  by  the  inscrutable 
visitations  of  Providence,  or  inflicted  bv  the  malice 
of  man,  or  resulting  from  the  infirmities  of  his 
nature.  Should  he  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  stumble 
and  fall  in  the  spiritual  combat   (for  ©von  the 


WHAT  IS  A  SAINT?  ^53 

Saints  on  eartli  are  not  exempt  from  human 
frailty),  he  will  promptly  rise  again,  and  will 
cleanse  himself  from  the  moral  stains  he  has  con- 
tracted, and  will  renew  the  conflict  with  redoubled 
energy. 

Now  it  is  in  the  power  of  every  Christian,  aided 
by  Divine  Grace,  to  observe  the  ordinances  of  God 
and  of  the  Church ;  to  comply  with  the  obligations 
incident  to  his  situation  in  the  world ;  to  carry  with 
resignation  the  cross  laid  upon  him  by  his  Heav- 
enly Father,  and  to  wage  an  incessant  warfare 
against  his  passions  and  vicious  inclinations. 

St.  Bernard,  after  embracing  the  monastic  state, 
was  accustomed  to  stimulate  his  fervor  by  asking 
himself  this  question:  *^ Bernard,  why  camest 
thou  hither ?'' 

We  should  also  ask  ourselves  this  first  question 
of  the  Catechism:  ^'Why  wert  thou  created!  Why 
art  thou  in  this  world?  T\naat  is  thy  mission  in 
life?  And  the  answer  is,  God  created  me  that  I 
might  know  Him  and  love  Him,  and  serve  Him 
in  this  world,  and  be  happy  with  Him  forever 
in  the  next.  In  other  words,  God  created  me  that 
I  might  sanctify  myself;  for,  if  I  know  God,  and 
love  and  serve  Him,  I  will  be  a  saint  indeed. 
^^This  is  eternal  life,''  says  our  Saviour,  *^that 
we  know  Thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ 
Whom  Thou  hast  sent.''  **Let  not  the  wise  man 
glory  in  his  wisdom,"  says  Jeremiah,  '^and  let 


254.        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

not  the  strong  man  glory  in  his  strength,  and 
let  not  the  rich  man  glory  in  his  riches,  but  let 
him  that  glorieth  glory  in  this  that  he  nnder- 
standeth  and  knoweth  Me.'' 

Let  me  suppose  that  you  have  succeeded  in 
amassing  Tvealth,  till  you  have  become  as  rich  as 
Croesus  of  old,  or  as  Eockefeller  of  our  day.  Let 
all  your  affairs  prosper.  Let  every  enterprise 
you  engage  in,  become  a  mine  of  gold.  Let  me 
suppose  that  you  attain  the  highest  honors  which 
this  world  can  bestow;  that  you  are  more  feared 
than  Alexander;  more  honored  than  Caesar;  more 
admired  than  "Washington. 

Let  me  suppose  that  you  revel  in  pleasures  and 
delights ;  that  your  life  is  one  continuous  round  of 
sunshine  without  a  single  cloud  to  darken  the 
horizon ;  that  your  pathway  is  strewn  with  flowers : 
Yet  if  you  fail  in  the  one  thing  necessary  of  attain- 
ing a  life  of  godliness,  you  have  missed  your  voca- 
tion; you  have  frustrated  the  end  for  which  God 
had  created  you,  and  you  are  in  His  sight,  *'poor 
and  miserable  and  blind  and  naked."  You  would 
be  like  a  splendid  vessel  which  sailed  on  the  ocean 
with  prosperous  winds  till  on  approaching  the 
harbor,  it  foundered,  and  its  precious  cargo  was 
sunk  in  the  depth  of  the  sea.  Alas!  what  will  it 
profit  us  to  have  steered  our  course  majestically 
and  with  flying  colors  through  the  ocean  of  life, 
if  we  bring  to  the  harbor  of  eternity  nothing  but 


WHAT  IS  A  SAINT?  255 

a  soul  shipwrecked  by  sin.  ''What  will  it  profit 
a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own 
soul,  or  what  will  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his 
souir' 

Let  me  suppose  on  the  other  hand,  that  you  are 
what  the  world  calls  ill-starred  and  unfortunate, 
that  all  your  commercial  or  professional  enter- 
prises resulted  in  lamentable  failures.  Let  me 
admit  that  while  others  are  crowned  with  honor, 
you  are  treated  with  indifference  or  covered  with 
confusion  and  contempt.  Let  me  admit  that  you 
rarely,  if  ever,  taste  the  cup  of  pleasure,  that  your 
domestic  life  is  blighted  with  sickness  or  death. 
In  a  word,  that  you  are  a  genuine  disciple  of  Job ; 
and  yet,  if  you  fulfil  the  sublime  destiny  for  which 
you  were  created,  by  pursuing  a  life  of  "holiness 
without  which  no  man  can  see  the  Lord,"  you  are 
in  the  sight  of  God,  and  in  the  light  of  faith,  a  suc- 
cessful and  happy  man. 

Why  did  Jesus  Christ  descend  from  heaven  to 
earth?  Why  did  He  clothe  Himself  with  our  hu- 
manity and  our  infirmities  ?  ' '  For  us  men, ' '  says 
the  Nicene  Creed,  ''and  for  our  salvation,  He  de- 
scended from  heaven  and  became  man. ' '  Why  did 
He  establish  His  Church  which  is  ramified  through- 
out the  globe?  Why  are  bishops  consecrated, 
priests  ordained  and  missionaries  sent  to  the  most 
remote  regions  of  the  earth?  Why  are  temples  of 
worship  erected?    Why  is  the  adorable  Sacrifice 


256        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

of  the  Altar  offered  up  from  the  rising  to  the 
setting  of  the  sun?  AYhy  are  the  sacraments  ad- 
ministered, and  why  are  you  here  today?  All 
these  works  are  undertaken  expressly  for  your 
sanctification.  Hear  the  Apostle:  ^'God,"  he 
says,  ''gave  some  indeed  Apostles,  and  some 
Prophets  and  some  Evangelists,  and  others  pas- 
tors and  teachers,  for  the  perfecting  of  the  Saints, 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  building  up  of 
the  Body  of  Christ,  until  we  all  meet  in  the  unity 
of  faith  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God, 
to  a  perfect  man,  to  the  measure  of  the  age  of  the 
fulness  of  Christ." 

No  matter  what  may  be  the  social  distinctions 
existing  between  you,  all  of  you  whether  rich  or 
poor,  learned  or  unlearned,  possess  in  common, 
the  one  glorious  title  of  Christian.  That  is  a  name 
you  would  not  exchange  for  all  the  high-sounding 
titles  of  kings  and  emperors.  You  glory  in  that 
appellation  and  are  justly  proud  of  it. 

But  the  title  of  Christian  is  not  an  empty  sound, 
but  is  full  of  solemn  significance.  It  has  annexed 
to  it  corresponding  obligations.  For,  what  is  a 
Christian?  A  Christian,  as  the  very  name  implies, 
is  a  disciple  or  follower  of  Christ.  A  Christian  is 
one  who  keeps  before  his  mental  vision,  his  Divine 
Saviour  that  he  may  endeavor  to  reproduce  in 
himself  the  virtues  of  his  heavenly  Model.  A 
Christian  is  one  who  walks  in  the  footprints  of  his 


i  WHAT  IS  A  SAINT?  257 

blessed  Eedeemer.    In  a  word,  a  Christian  is  an- 
other Christ. 

Would  it  not  be  a  gross  inconsistency,  and  a  con- 
tradiction in  terms  to  have  nothing  in  common 
with  our  Master  except  the  name?  Every  disciple 
aims  at  imitating  his  teacher  or  master.  Even  the 
Mohammedan  boasts  of  being  faithful  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  false  prophet.  The  Hebrew  glories 
in  observing  the  precepts  of  Moses ;  and  it  should 
be  our  constant  endeavor  to  fulfil  the  maxims  of 
our  Lawgiver,  Jesus  Christ. 

This  is  also  the  meaning  which  St.  Paul  attaches 
to  the  name  of  Christian.  In  his  letters  to  the  faith- 
ful of  his  time,  he  commonly  calls  them  by  the 
name  of  saints,  indicating  that  he  regarded  Chris- 
tians and  saints  as  synonomous  terms. 

But  perhaps  you  will  say  to  me :  If  I  pursue  a 
life  of  christian  righteousness,  I  am  liable  to  be 
left  behind  in  the  race  for  temporal  prosperity. 
I  will  be  handicapped  by  the  very  virtues  which  I 
practise,  because  I  must  carry  them  with  me  in 
my  public  as  well  as  in  my  private  life.  I  am  bound 
to  be  truthful  and  honest  in  my  dealings  with 
others.  I  can  take  no  undue  advantage  of  my 
neighbor.  My  conscience  will  be  always  on  guard 
at  the  door  of  my  heart,  warning  me  not  to  lay 
hands  on  ill-gotten  wealth. 

My  neighbor,  on  the  contrary,  has  thrown 
christian  principles  to  the  winds.     He  is  a  de- 


258        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

ceiver  and  a  trickster.  He  is  dishonest  in  his  deal- 
ings. He  has  no  scruples  about  over-reaching  his 
business  competitors.  The  only  god  he  worships 
is  Mammon.  The  only  gospel  he  swears  by  is  the 
gospel  of  self.  His  aim  in  life  is  to  make  money 
by  fair  means  or  foul  I  He  cares  not  which.  He 
stoops  to  methods  in  his  medical  or  legal  or  com- 
mercial relations  which  I  spurn  and  abhor.  He 
is  sure  therefore  to  get  the  upper  hand  of  me  and 
to  outrun  me  in  the  race  for  financial  success: 
**For  the  children  of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their 
generation  than  the  children  of  light." 

Let  me  grant  all  this  for  the  sake  of  argument. 
What  then?  Are  you  not  vastly  the  gainer  in  the 
long  run?  Put  into  one  scale  your  neighbor's  cun- 
ning and  duplicity,  his  fraud  and  injustice,  his 
wealth  and  pleasure,  his  bad  conscience  with  his 
despair  of  future  reward.''  ''For,  amen,  I  say  to 
you,  he  has  already  received  his  reward."  Like 
Esau  he  has  sold  his  heavenly  birth-right  for  a 
mass  of  earthly  pottage. 

Put  into  the  other  scale  your  truth  and  honesty, 
your  sense  of  justice  and  honor  with  its  temporal 
drawbacks.  Put  into  it  your  unsullied  conscience, 
your  cheerful  spirits  and  your  hope  of  eternal 
recompense. 

Is  not  your  condition  infinitely  better  than  his? 
Hear  the  words  of  St.  Paul.  The  Apostle  enu- 
merates the  prerogatives  and  advantages  he  had 


WHAT  IS  A  SAINT?  259 

enjoyed  as  a  Jew  before  his  conversion  to  Chris- 
tianity. He  was  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews,  of  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin.  He  was  a  conspicuous  figure  in 
the  ranks  of  the  Jewish  hierarchy.  But  he  con- 
sidered all  these  gains  as  nothing  compared  with 
the  knowledge  and  love  of  Jesus  Christ.  Nay 
every  other  privilege,  such  as  wealth  and  station, 
power  and  honor,  learning  and  eloquence,  all  these 
he  regarded  as  dross  in  comparison  with  the  in- 
exhaustible treasures  he  found  in  christian  holi- 
ness. 

And  this  is  also  the  judgment  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
speaking  in  the  Book  of  Wisdom:  '*I  called  upon 
God  and  the  Spirit  of  wisdom  (or  sanctity)  came 
upon  me.  And  I  preferred  her  before  kingdoms 
and  thrones,  and  esteemed  riches  as  nothing  in 
comparison  of  her :  for,  all  gold  in  comparison  of 
her  is  a  little  sand,  and  silver  in  respect  to  her,  is 
counted  as  clay.'* 

But  I  emphatically  deny  that  the  pursuit  of 
righteousness  is  a  bar  or  hindrance  to  temporal 
prosperity.  Without  searching  for  examples  else- 
where, cast  your  eyes  about  you  in  this  city,  and 
you  will  find  a  host  of  men  who  have  been  emi- 
nently successful  in  every  department  of  profes- 
sional and  commercial  life,  without  stooping  to 
base  or  ignoble  methods.  And  while  they  have 
acquired  fortunes,  they  enjoy  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  their  fellow-citizens;  they  preserve  a 


\ 


260        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

pure  and  upright  conscience,  and  are  comforted 
by  the  blessed  hope  of  eternal  life. 

In  confirmation  of  this  sense,  we  may  use  the 
words  of  the  Apostle  who  says  that  **  piety  is 
profitable  for  all  things,  having  the  promise  of  the 
life  that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come.'' 
And  our  Lord  Himself  seems  to  verify  what  I  have 
said,  in  these  words :  * '  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  His  justice,  and  all  things  else  shall  be 
added  unto  you.'' 

On  this  day  when  we  are  commemorating  the 
Festival  of  All  Saints,  cast  your  eyes  in  spirit 
heavenward,  and  contemplate  that  *' cloud  of  wit- 
nesses over  your  head,"  inviting  you  to  follow 
their  footsteps,  and  share  in  their  reward.  You 
will  see  there  men  and  women  of  every  rank  and 
condition  of  life  who  have  preserved  their  gar- 
ments undefiled,  who  ''have  fought  the  good  fight, 
have  finished  their  course  and  kept  the  faith." 

*'I  saw,"  says  St.  John,  ''a  great  multitude 
which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and 
tribes,  and  peoples,  and  tongues,  standing  before 
the  throne,  and  in  sight  of  the  Lamb,  clothed  with 
white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands.  .  .  . 
And  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice :  saying,  salvation 
to  our  God  who  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the 
Lamb.  .  .  .  They  shall  no  more  hunger  nor 
thirst,  neither  shall  the  sun  fall  upon  them,  nor 
any  heat.    For  the  Lamb  that  is  in  the  midst  of 


WHAT  IS  A  SAINT?  261 

the  throne,  shall  rule  them,  and  shall  lead  them  to 
the  fountains  of  the  waters  of  life :  and  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes." 

^^And  the  city  hath  no  need  of  the  sun  nor  of  the 
moon  to  shine  in  it,  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord  hath 
enlightened  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  lamp  thereof.'* 
(Apoe.  vii,  xxi.) 

"No  sun,  no  moon  in  borrowed  light 
Rerolves  thine  hours  away: 

The  Lamb  on  Calvary's  mountain  slain. 
Is  thine  eternal  day." 


SOCIAL  AND  DOMESTIC  JOYS 

OF  HEAVEN 


SOCIAL  AND  DOMESTIC  JOYS  OF  HEAVEN. 

"In  My  Father's  house  there  are  many  mansions:  I  go  to 
prepare  a  place  for  you." — John  xiv,  2-3. 

I. 

THE  future  abode  of  the  Saints  is  very  fre- 
quently called  in  Holy  Scripture  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven :  *  ^  I  say  unto  you  that  many 
shall  come  from  the  East  and  from  the  West,  and 
shall  sit  down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. '*  *^I  dispose  to  you 
as  My  Father  hath  disposed  to  Me,  a  kingdom, 
that  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  My  table  in  My  king- 
dom, and  may  sit  upon  thrones,  judging  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel."  **Fear  not,  little  flock,  for  it 
hath  pleased  your  Father  to  give  you  a  kingdom.'' 
The  name  of  kingdom  is  given  to  the  habitation  of 
the  blessed,  because  they  shall  all  reign  under  the 
supreme  dominion  of  the  King  of  kings.  They 
shall  all  be  governed  by  the  same  holy  and 
equitable  laws,  and  above  all,  because  they  shall 
dwell  together  in  that  happy  and  social  intercourse 
such  as  we  can  conceive  of  the  people  of  a  king- 

263 


LIFE  IN  HEAVEN  2G3 

dom  enjoying  the  blessings  of  the  most  perfect 
social  and  domestic  tranquility. 

But  the  idea  of  a  kingdom  is  not  sufficient  to  rep- 
resent to  us  the  intimate  relations  that  will  subsist 
among  the  Saints  in  heaven.  For  many  subjects 
of  the  same  kingdom  spend  their  whole  lives  with- 
out ever  becoming  acquainted  with  one  another. 

The  habitation  of  the  elect  is  therefore  depicted 
to  us  in  the  second  place  as  the  City  of  God.  **I 
saw,  says  St.  John,  ^'the  Holy  City,  the  New  Jerus- 
alem coming  down  out  of  heaven  from  God,  pre- 
pared as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband."  This 
emblem  marks  more  forcibly  the  close  fellowship 
subsisting  between  the  Saints ;  for,  the  citizens  of 
the  same  city  meet  one  another  more  frequently 
than  the  inhabitants  of  the  same  kingdom. 

But  even  the  term  city  fails  to  give  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  familiar  intercourse  and  loving  friend- 
ship which  will  bind  the  blessed  together,  for  many 
persons  may  dwell  even  in  the  same  city  without 
enjoying  social  intercourse  with  each  other. 

In  order  then  to  give  us  the  best  possible  notion 
of  the  intimate  relations  of  the  Saints,  the  third 
name  that  is  given  to  their  future  dwelling  place 
is  the  House  of  God.  *'In  my  Father's  house," 
says  our  Lord,  *Hhere  are  many  mansions.  .  .  . 
I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  **We  know," 
says  St.  Paul,  ^4f  our  earthly  house  of  this  habita- 
tion be  dissolved  that  we  have  a  building  of  God, 


264        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

a  house  not  made  witli  hands,  eternal  in  heaven." 
The  whole  court  of  Heaven  is  represented  as  one 
family.  God  Himself  is  the  Father  of  the  house- 
hold; the  guests  are  His  children  reclining  to- 
gether in  domestic  concord  at  the  divine  banquet, 
*  inebriated  with  the  plenty  of  God's  house  and 
filled  with  the  torrent  of  delights.'' 

From  this  picture  of  heaven  we  see  at  once  that 
the  saints  will  not  live  in  a  state  of  isolation  or 
seclusion ;  they  will  not  dwell  apart,  standing  like 
statues  on  a  pedestal;  they  will  not  be  in  a  condi- 
tion of  mental  abstraction,  so  absorbed  in  the 
contemplation  of  God  as  to  be  unconscious  of  each 
other's  presence:  they  will  enjoy  on  the  contrary, 
not  only  the  vision  of  their  Creator,  but  the  happy 
society  also  of  one  another. 

When  the  people  were  dispersed  over  the  world 
after  the  building  of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  they  fell 
into  idolatry  and  were  confounded  by  a.  variety 
of  languages.  But  when  the  nations  shall  be 
gathered  together  in  the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  and 
worship  the  true  God,  they  will  communicate  in  a 
language  intelligible  to  all.  Like  the  primitive 
Christians  described  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
they  will  have  one  heart,  one  soul,  and  one  tongue. 

Man  is  by  nature  a  social  being.  God  has 
planted  in  his  breast  an  irresistible  desire  to  con- 
sort and  converse  with  his  fellow-man.  And  as 
Boethius  remarks,  our  happiness  is  increased  when 


.  LIFE  IN  HEAVEN  265 

we  can  share  it  with  others.  Indeed  the  most 
frightful  punishment  you  can  inflict  on  any  one  is 
to  deprive  him  of  all  human  fellowship,  or  to  con- 
demn him  to  solitary  confinement. 

Now  in  heaven  the  essential  characteristics  of 
our  nature  are  not  destroyed  but  preserved.  Grace 
will  not  supplant  nature.  It  will  supplement  and 
perfect  it.  And  therefore  man  will  remain  in 
heaven  as  he  is  now  on  earth — a  social  being. 

The  possession  and  enjoyment  of  God  will  con- 
stitute, it  is  true,  the  essential  happiness  of  the 
elect.  But  the  society  of  one  another  will  form  a 
subordinate  though  important  element  in  the  be- 
atitude of  the  saints.  The  blessed  in  seeing  and 
admiring  one  another,  will  behold  and  admire  God 
Himself  Who  ' '  is  wonderful  in  His  saints. ' '  They 
will  be  clothed  with  His  glory.  They  will  reflect 
His  beauty  and  perfection  even  as  the  atoms  in 
the  sunbeam  reflect  the  splendor  of  the  sun. 

II. 

Mutual  Eecognition. 

We  are  assured  by  the  Scriptures  and  the  writ- 
ings of  Fathers  that  the  blessed  will  recognize  one 
another  in  the  city  of  God,  no  matter  how  remote 
from  each  other  may  have  been  the  age  in  which 
they  had  lived  on  earth.    This  knowledge  is  im- 


266        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEAES 

parted  to  them  by  revelation  or  by  divine  illumina- 
tion. We  gather  from  various  passages  of  Holy 
Writ  that  the  angels  are  thoroughly  conversant 
with  human  affairs :  '  ^  When  thou  didst  pray  with 
tears,"  says  the  Angel  Eaphsel  to  Tobias,  ''and 
didst  bury  the  dead,  I  offered  thy  prayers  to  the 
Lord. ' '  He  could  not  present  those  prayers  unless 
he  had  known  Tobias,  as  well  as  the  purport  of  his 
petitions  in  far  off  Nineve. 

'  Our  Lord  says :  ' '  There  shall  be  joy  before  the 
angels  of  God  upon  one  sinner  doing  penance.'* 
The  angels  could  not  rejoice  without  knowing  us 
and  our  deeds  and  even  the  thoughts  of  our  heart ; 
for  repentance  is  an  interior  operation  of  the  will. 

And  St.  Paul  declares  that  ''we  are  a  spectacle 
to  the  world,  to  angels  and  to  men,"  meaning  that 
as  we  are  observed  by  men  who  surround  us,  so 
are  we  seen  by  the  angels  of  God.  Now  our 
Saviour  tells  us  that  the  saints  shall  be  like  the 
angels  in  the  life  to  come,  enjoying  the  same  knowl- 
edge as  well  as  the  same  glorious  immortality. 

And  if  the  blessed  can  recognize  us  from  afar, 
how  much  more  manifestly  will  they  know  us  when 
we  shall  be  associated  with  them  in  heaven!  If 
they  can  behold  us  now  while  we  are  walking  in 
the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  how  much 
more  distinctly  shall  they  view  us,  when  we  stand 
by  them  under  the  effulgent  rays  of  the  Sun  of 
Justice ! 


LIFE  IN  HEAVEN  267 

And  we  shall  know  the  saints  even  as  they  know 
us:  '*We  see  now  through  a  glass  darkly,''  says 
St.  Paul,  *'but  then  face  to  face  now  I  know  in 
part,  but  then  I  shall  know  even  as  I  am  known.'' 

From  the  Parable  (or  rather  I  might  say  the 
history)  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  as  recorded  in  the 
Gospel,  we  see  that  Abraham  was  conversant  with 
the  life  of  Lazarus,  though  they  had  lived  on  earth 
hundreds  of  years  apart. 

Our  Lord  predicted  to  the  Apostles  that  they 
would  exercise  judicial  powers,  under  Him  on  the 
last  day:  ''Ye  shall  sit  on  twelve  thrones  judging 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. ' '  This  judicial  prerog- 
ative they  could  not  use  with  discretion,  unless  the 
conduct  of  those  they  will  judge  will  be  made 
manifest  to  them. 

Imagine  the  delight  which  the  citizens  of  heaven 
will  experience  on  contemplating  the  great  men  of 
every  age,  men  truly  great  because  declared  to  be 
such,  not  by  the  capricious  voice  of  public  opinion, 
but  by  the  infallible  verdict  of  God's  word.  If 
persons  travel  far  and  wide  to  get  a  glimpse  of 
some  illustrious  personage ;  if  a  Queen  journeyed 
from  a  distant  land  to  behold  and  converse  with 
Solomon;  if  tourists  visit  London  and  Paris  to 
view  the  wax  figures  of  eminent  persons,  how 
intense  will  be  your  delight  on  beholding  the  living 
palpable  features  of  men  and  women  whose  names 


268         A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

are  inscribed  on  the  imperishable  pages  of  the 
Book  of  Life ! 

You  esteem  it  an  honor  to  be  invited  to  a  regal 
palace,  and  admitted  to  the  company  of  the  royal 
family,  and  the  retinue  of  the  court.  But  the  dis- 
tinction and  the  pleasure  are  often  more  than  coun- 
terbalanced by  the  heart-burnings,  the  wounded 
feelings,  the  stings  of  jealousy  which  you  carry 
home  with  you  in  your  breast  in  consequence  of 
some  real  or  imaginary  slight  offered  by  one  of 
the  guests.  But  in  the  court  of  heaven,  the  pleas- 
ures of  society  are  never  poisoned  by  such  bitter 
sensations.  Charity  will  never  be  violated.  The 
greater  the  dignity  of  the  members  of  God's  house- 
hold, the  more  condescending  and  gracious  will  be 
their  affection. 

A  great  doctor  of  the  Church  observed  that  there 
were  three  objects  he  .would  wish  to  have  beheld  on 
earth— the  City  of  Eome  in  the  days  of  its  imperial 
splendor,  Christ  walking  in  the  flesh,  and  Paul 
preaching  to  the  people  of  Athens. 

What  will  be  your  exultation  on  beholding  the 
City  of  God  of  which  such  ' 'glorious  things  are 
said,"  to  contemplate  your  Creator— the  Fountain 
of  all  joys— to  enjoy  the  company  of  our  dear 
Saviour  and  of  His  Blessed  Mother;  to  behold  the 
Prophets  of  Israel  with  David  the  Royal  Psalmist 
whose  songs  have  been  the  delight  of  the  Jewish 
and  Christian  Church ;  to  live  in  the  society  of  the 


LIFE  m  HEAVEN  2G3 

Apostles!  And  if  the  words  of  Peter,  Paul  and 
John  even  when  read  now  in  the  cold  pages  of  a 
book,  and  at  such  a  distance  from  the  time  when 
they  were  written — if  they  give  so  much  consola- 
tion to  troubled  spirits,  how  ineffable  will  be  the 
delight  of  conversing  familiarly  with  them,  and  of 
hearing  the  words  of  wisdom  falling  fresh  and 
warm  from  their  inspired  lips ! 

III. 

We  Will  Know  Our  Own. 

But  among  the  citizens  of  the  celestial  mansions, 
the  saints  will  especially  recognize  those  who  were 
bound  to  them  on  earth  by  the  ties  of  flesh  and 
blood.  And  the  particular  affection  they  will  have 
for  their  kindred  and  relatives  will  in  no  wise  vio- 
late the  law  of  universal  charity,  just  as  Christ's 
predilection  for  His  Mother,  for  the  Apostles,  and 
the  Baptist  did  not  lessen  in  the  slightest  degree 
His  love  for  the  host  of  heaven.  Charity  in  the 
future  blessed  life,  as  in  the  present  life,  will  have 
its  graduating  scale. 

Death  shall  not  erase  from  your  minds  the  mem- 
ory of  those  with  whom  you  were  associated  here, 
and  who  shared  in  your  joys  and  sorrows  on  earth. 

For  what  is  death?  It  is  the  separation  of  the 
soul  from  the  body.    The  body  is  dissolved.    But 


270        A  EETKOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

the  soul  does  not  cease  ''to  live  and  move  and 
have  its  being."  It  continues  to  think,  to  love  and 
remember.  And  if  all  our  natural  faculties  will  be 
brought  into  play  in  the  heavenly  kingdom,  if  our 
intelligence  and  memory  will  be  marvellously 
quickened  and  expanded,  how  is  it  possible  that 
the  endearing  power  of  joyful  recognition  should 
be  lost?  The  fabled  river  of  Lethe  invented  by 
Pagan  poets,  was  supposed  to  drown  the  memory. 
But  the  waters  of  life  revealed  to  us  by  inspired 
writers,  of  which  the  elect  will  drink,  shall  refresh 
and  preserve  in  perpetual  vigor  all  the  faculties 
of  the  soul. 

I  ask  you.  Christian  matron,  if  your  fond  husband 
had  left  you  to  cross  the  seas,  and  after  several 
years'  absence,  had  returned  home,  how  eagerly 
and  joyfully  you  would  know  and  embrace  him. 
But  if  he  crossed  the  sea  of  life,  entered  the  shores 
of  eternity,  and  after  his  death,  you  put  on  the 
robes  of  mourning  like  the  virtuous  Judith,  and 
daily  prayed  for  his  soul;  if  after  the  lapse  of 
many  years  you  followed  him  to  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  would  you  not  distinguish  him  at  once 
from  among  a  thousand  men  more  readily  than 
Penelope  recognized  her  spouse  Ulysses  from  a 
number  of  suitors,  though  he  returned  to  her  dis- 
guised in  the  tattered  garb  of  a  pilgrim  after  an 
absence  of  twenty  years  ? 

If  the  Patriarch  Isaac,  though  his  sight  was  dim 


LIFE  IN  HEAVEN  271 

with  years,  and  his  life  was  ebbing  away,  if  he 
could  distinguish  the  voice  of  his  beloved  son, 
Jacob,  did  he  not  know  his  son  again  when  they 
met  in  Abraham's  bosom? 

And  can  you  think  that  Jacob  did  not  recognize 
his  son  Joseph  when,  after  death,  they  met  again 
in  the  land  of  the  living?  You  know  how  Jacob 
lost  his  favorite  boy;  how  he  was  carried  into 
Egypt  and  sold  as  a  slave ;  how  his  father  mourned 
him  as  dead ;  how  they  met  again,  and  how  Joseph 
seeing  his  father,  **fell  upon  his  neck  and  embrac- 
ing him,  wepf  Oh!  if  such  was  the  joy  at  a 
temporary  meeting  of  sire  and  son  in  a  strange 
land,  what  was  their  delight  at  their  eternal  re- 
union in  their  Father's  house! 

Can  you  believe  that  the  mother  of  the  Macha- 
bees  did  not  discern  in  heaven  her  seven  sons 
whom  she  preferred  to  see  slain  before  her  face 
rather  than  renounce  the  religion  of  their  fathers  f 
Will  God  deny  this  heroic  woman  and  her  children 
mutual  recognition  after  so  sublime  a  sacrifice! 

Lazarus  did  not  fail  to  know  his  beloved  sisters 
and  his  divine  Friend  Jesus  after  rising  from  the 
tomb  where  he  had  lain  for  four  days.  And  how 
could  his  second  death  blot  them  from  his  memory? 
How  tender  was  the  love  of  those  sisters  for  their 
brother !  They  showed  it  by  the  tears  they  shed 
at  his  tomb.  They  showed  it  by  the  sorrow  they 
expressed  that  the  Master  was  not  present  during 


272        A  EETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

his  illness:  ^'Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  been  here,  my 
brother  had  not  died."  TChey  showed  it  by  their 
confiding  prayer;  *^We  know  that  whatever  thou 
wilt  ask  of  God,  He  will  grant  it  to  Thee."  And 
they  mainf  ested  their  gratitude  at  his  resurrection 
by  the  banquet  they  prepared. 

But  if  such  was  their  joy  and  such  their  love 
at  their  earthly  reunion,  I  leave  you  to  imagine 
their  unspeakable  happiness  at  their  eternal  reun- 
ion in  the  City  of  God.  Conceive  if  you  can  the 
gratitude  of  Lazarus  for  his  beloved  sisters  to 
whom  he  was  indebted  under  God  not  only  for 
the  brief  extension  of  life  that  was  granted  to 
him  on  earth,  but  very  probably  also  for  the  im- 
mortal life  he  now  enjoys  with  them  in  heaven. 

IV. 

Family  Eeunion. 

The  pen  of  the  sacred  writer,  as  well  as  the 
pencil  of  the  artist  habitually  portrays  Jesus, 
Mary  and  Joseph  inseparably  united  in  one  group 
as  they  had  lived  in  the  days  of  their  earthly 
pilgrimage. 

The  teachings  of  our  holy  religion  declare  that 
the  relations  of  the  Holy  Family  are  not  changed 
in  Paradise  and  that  the  conjugal,  parental  and 


LIFE  m  HExWEN  273 

filial  love  whicb.  marked  their  domestic  life  at 
Nazareth  will  be  continued  for  all  eternity  in 
heaven. 

Christ  will  not  deny  to  the  Christian  family  in 
the  life  to  come  those  natural  joys  which  He  now 
shares  with  Mary  and  Joseph  in  their  eternal 
home. 

God  never  implants  in  the  human  breast  any 
rational  and  laudable  desire  without  intending  that 
it  should  be  gratified,  for,  He  never  creates  any- 
thing in  vain.  Now  what  aspiration  is  more  rea- 
sonable, more  righteous  and  more  in  accordance 
with  the  voice  of  revelation  than  the  wish  we  cher- 
ish that  we  shall  be  reunited  in  the  heavenly  man- 
sions with  our  kindred  whom  we  loved  on  earth? 

It  is  repugnant  to  our  religious  sense  that  a 
devoted  Christian  family  who  were  united  here 
below,  would  be  separated  in  the  life  to  come,  or 
that  they  would  be  oblivious  of  one  another,  and 
would  have  no  more  tender  and  intimate  associa- 
tion with  each  other  than  with  the  other  celestial 
inhabitants. 

On  the  contrary,  our  instincts  of  faith  and  piety 
compel  us  to  believe  that  He  Who  said:  *^What 
God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asun- 
der,'' will  not  fail  to  bestow  on  the  faithful  hus- 
band, wife  and  children  that  human  consolation 
which  Christ  Himself  now  shares  in  the  City  of 


274        A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

God  with  those  who  were  the  guardians  of  His 
childhood,  and  that  the  bond  of  union  which  was 
consecrated  at  the  altar  of  a  Christian  temple  here 
below,  will  be  perpetuated  in  the  temple  above  not 
made  with  hands. 

I  appeal  then  to  you,  faithful  members  of  the 
Christian  family,  you  who  have  been  bound  to- 
gether by  the  sacred  ties  of  Christian  charity, 
how  sweet  and  tranquil  will  be  your  domestic  joys 
when  you  are  translated  from  your  earthly  to  your 
heavenly  habitation. 

Then  you  will  enjoy  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God,  without  the  danger  of  the  sin  of 
license. 

Then  will  there  be  love  without  dissimulation, 
concord  without  strife. 

Then  will  there  be  mutual  admiration  of  your 
respective  gifts  and  charms,  without  exciting  envy, 
because  you  will  clearly  perceive  that  each  one's 
special  graces  and  attractions  will  be  a  radiation 
of  God's  infinite  perfections,  as  the  beauty  of  the 
lily  reflects  the  splendor  of  the  sun. 

You  will  then  have  familiar  intercourse  with 
those  abroad,  without  exciting  jealousy  with  those 
at  home. 

You  will  rejoice  with  those  that  rejoice  without 
weeping  with  those  that  weep,  for  grief  has  no 
place  in  the  mansions  of  the  blessed. 


LIFE  IN  HEAVEN  275 

You  will  exult  in  the  consciousness  of  an  eternal 
union  without  the  fear  of  separation.  Then  will 
you  say  with  all  the  confidence  of  the  Apostle: 
* '  Neither  death  nor  life,  nor  angels  nor  principal- 
ities nor  powers,  nor  things  present  nor  things  to 
come,  nor  height  nor  depth  nor  any  other  creature 
shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,** 
and  of  each  other. 

But  you  will  ask  me,  may  not  the  peace  of  the 
family  in  the  City  of  God  be  marred  by  the  recol- 
lection of  the  occasional  animosities,  bickerings 
and  outbreaks  of  temper  that  clouded  the  domestic 
horizon  in  the  days  of  your  earthly  pilgrimage? 
May  not  these  memories  rise  up  in  judgment 
against  you? 

Far  from  it.  The  memory  of  those  estrange- 
ments will  serve  rather  to  augment  your  joys,  be- 
cause you  will  be  conscious  that  these  moral 
wounds  have  been  healed  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
never  to  return.  You  will  have  the  assurance  of 
being  confirmed  in  grace.  You  will  remember 
those  human  frailties  with  immeasurably  more 
relief  than  a  patient  who  had  suffered  from  many 
physical  distempers  when  he  rejoices  in  his  com- 
plete restoration  to  health. 

Some  years  ago  a  lady  of  my  acquaintance  was 
grievously  afflicted  by  the  death  of  an  only  daugh- 
ter who  was  carried  off  in  the  prime  of  life.    She 


276        A  RETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

had  none  of  the  consolations  which  you  happily 
enjoy  when  the  angel  of  death  visits  your  family. 
She  had  no  knowledge  of  the  communion  of  saints. 
She  thought  that  death  created  a  chasm  which 
severed  all  spiritual  relations  between  herself  and 
her  daughter.  She  casually  learned  of  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Church  on  this  subject.  It  was  to  her 
a  joyous  revelation.  She  became  a  fervent  Cath- 
olic and  her  daily  comfort  was  to  commune  with 
her  beloved  one  and  offer  fervent  prayers  for  her 
soul. 

If  you  hope,  my  Brethren,  to  enjoy  the  society 
of  your  dear  kindred  in  heaven,  prepare  at  once 
for  that  happy  reunion.  Think  often  of  the  glory 
of  the  City  of  God,  and  the  contemplation  of  it  will 
inflame  your  ambition  to  inherit  it.  ^*Live  soberly 
and  justly  and  piously  in  this  world,  looking  for 
the  blessed  hope  and  the  coming  of  the  glory  of  the 
great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ." 

Pray  daily  and  earnestly  for  all  for  whom  Christ 
died,  especially  for  your  relations,  *^  whether  this 
present  world  still  detains  them  in  the  flesh,  or  the 
world  to  come  hath  already  received  them,  stripped 
of  their  mortal  bodies,  ^Hhat  He  may  raise  them  to 
the  life  of  grace  here  and  of  glory  hereafter,  and 
that  you  may  live  in  the  blessed  hope  of  enjoying 
their  company  not  for  a  few  fleeting  years,  but  for 
all  eternity. 


LIFE  IN  HEAVEN  277 

V. 

Meeting  of  Friends. 

Then  consider  the  delights  of  friendship  in  the 
coming  life.  Most  of  you  have  experienced  the 
pleasures  of  earthly  attachments,  and  there  are 
few  joys  so  delightful,  so  solid  or  so  lasting  as  the 
joys  of  pure  and  holy  fellowship.  The  pleasures 
of  the  senses  bring  satiety  and  even  disgust  when 
they  are  grossly  indulged  in. 

The  pleasures  of  true  friendship  are  increased 
and  nourished  by  the  companionship  of  a  friend. 
History  affords  us  many  examples  of  pure  inti- 
macies of  this  kind.  Such  was  the  friendship  of 
Jonathan  for  David  that  in  the  expressive  words 
of  Scripture,  **the  soul  of  Jonathan  was  knit  in 
the  soul  of  David  and  Jonathan  loved  David  as  his 
own  soul.'* 

Beloved  Brethren,  let  your  friendships  ever  rest 
on  the  solid  foundation  of  truth,  honor,  disinter- 
estedness and  religion,  and  then  they  will  be  last- 
ing. 

0  blessed  friendship  inspired  by  virtue  which 
begins  with  time  and  endures  unto  eternity  which 
having  its  roots  on  earth,  blooms  in  heaven!  0 
blessed  friendship  whose  fruit  ripens  with  the 
eternal  years  and  never  decays,  which  is  proof 


278        A  EETEOSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

against  temptation  and  adversity,  and  is  stronger 
than  death. 

Let  your  imagination  picture  to  itself  the  delight 
of  these  heavenly  associations.  If  Jonathan  and 
David  had  so  much  pleasure  in  these  secret  and 
stolen  interviews  when  they  tried  to  escape  the 
vigilance  of  the  jealous  king  Saul,  how  ineffable 
will  be  the  delight  of  friends  in  heaven  whose  fel- 
lowship will  meet  with  the  appro\dng  smile  of  the 
great  King,  and  who  will  have  no  fear  of  being  ever 
separated  by  estrangement  or  death. 


( 


INDEX 


ALBANY,  Diocese  of,  37. 
Alexander  the  Great,  236. 
Americanism,  153. 
American     Church,    debt    to 

Church  in  France,  34. 
Ameins,  Cathedral  of,  42. 
Australia,  51-93. 

BALTIMORE  Cathedral,  dedi- 
cated, 1821,  1. 

Laying  of  corner  stone,  1806, 
11. 

One  hundredth  anniversary 
of  laying  of  comer  stone, 
17. 

Work  of  erection  interrupted 
by    war    with    England, 
1812-1815,  22. 
Baltimore,  Lord,  56-57-106. 

Raised  to  Archiepiscopal  See 
in  1808,  82-33. 

Second  Plenary  Council  of, 
148. 

Third  Plenary  Council  of,  88. 
Bavaria,  81. 

Bayley,  Most  Rev.  Jas.  Roose- 
velt, Archbishop,  conse- 
crated Baltimore  Cathe- 
dral, 23. 


Bayley,  Most  Rev.  Jas.  Roose- 
velt, Archbishop,  36. 
Bede,  Venerable,  48. 

Begin,  Archbishop,  89. 
Bishops  of  the  World,  Council 

of,  9. 
Bismark,  Prince,  Chancellor  of 

Germany,  8. 
Boston,  originally  sole  diocese 

in  all  New  England,  117. 
Archdiocese    of,    wonderful 

growth  of  Catholicism  in, 

118. 
Brooklyn,  diocese  of,  statistics 

of,  129. 
Butler,  Alban,  50. 
Calvert,  Leonard,  56. 
Calvinism,  60. 
Canada,    not    represented    at 

Conclave    which     elected 

Pius  X,  93. 
Carlyle,  tribute  to  priesthood, 

106. 
Carroll,  Most  Rev.  John,  D.  D., 

Bishop  of  Baltimore,  head 

of    first    diocese    in    the 

United  States,  1806,  12-17- 

25-32-229. 


279 


380 


INDEX 


Carroll,  Most  Rev.  John,  D.D., 
Administration  of.  18-19. 

Appointed  first  Bishop  of 
American  Church  by  Pius 
VII,  1789,  31. 

Champion  of  Americanism, 
20. 

Entrusted  with  important 
mission  to  Canada  by  Con- 
tinental Congress,  18. 

Intimate  relations  with  those 
of  other  creeds,  21. 

Moulds  diverse  elements  in 
United  States  into  organ- 
ized church,  19. 

Patriarch  at  American 
Church,  58. 

Solicitude  for  all  the 
churches,  20. 

Charles  of  Carrollton,  Mis- 
sion to  Canada,  18-35. 

Catholic  Church,  Christ  with, 
as    long    as    world    shall 
last,  2. 
Indestructible,  2. 
Perpetuity  of  the,  2. 
Catholicism,  increase  of,  143. 
Catholic  University,  encourag- 
ing growth  of,  190. 
Foundation  and  development 
of,  due  largely  to  efforts  of 
Leo  XIII  and  Pius  X,  191. 

Celestine,  Pope,  81. 
Chase,  Samuel,  mission  to  Can- 
ada, 18. 
Chaloner,  Bishop,  50-62. 


Chaucer,  49. 

Cheverus,  Bishop,  of  Boston, 

118. 
Christian  Emperors,  conspicu- 
ous reigns  of,  69. 
Christianity,    remarkable 
spread  of,  126-127. 
Religion  of  joy,  252. 
Useful  as  to  extension,  256. 

Church  and  State,  no  conflict 
between,  mutual  aid  ren- 
dered, 213. 

Civil  War,  209-236. 

Cleveland,  Grover,  President  of 
United  States,  90. 

Coleridge,  Father,  50. 

Columbus,  11. 

Concanen,  Rt.  Rev.  Richard 
Luke,  first  Bishop  of  New 
York,  33. 
Died  in  Naples  before  exer- 
cising episcopal  preroga- 
tives, 33. 

Conclave  for  election  of  Pope, 
nations  represented,  92. 

Connolly,  Rt.  Rev.  John,  sec- 
ond Bishop  of  New  York, 
83. 

Constantine  defeats  Maxentlus 
at  Milvian  Bridge,  4. 

Constitution,  American,  guar- 
antees  religious  liberty,  32. 

United  States,  of  the,  146. 

United  States,  of  the,  polit- 
ical authority  distributed 
to  preserve  balance  of 
power,  207. 


INDEX 


281 


Constitution,  United  States, 
of  the,  prerogatives  of 
Federal  and  State  govern- 
ments, 207. 
*  Corrigan,  Most  Rev.  Michael 
Augustine,  D.  D.,  Arch- 
bishop of  New  York,  38. 

Coskery,  Very  Rev.  Dr.,  218. 

Councils  of  Church  in  Amer- 
ica, 15. 
CScumenical,  80. 

Cromwell,  policy  of,  180. 

DAVID,  Father,  later  Bishop 

of  Bardstown,  108. 
Declaration  of  Independence, 

170. 

Democracy,  obligations  of,  199. 

Dryden,  John,  49. 

Dubois,  Bishop  John,  third  of 
New  York,  23-136. 

Founder  and  president  of 
Mount  St.  Mary's  College, 
34. 

ECCLESTON,  Archbishop,  15- 
23-25-229. 

Elder,  William  Henry,  Arch- 
bishop, 23-108-111-112. 

Created  Bishop  of  Natchez 
in  1857,  108. 

"William,  great  grandfather 
of  Archbishop,  107-108. 

Ellicott  City,  supplies  granite 
for  Baltimore  Cathedral, 
22, 


England,  93-97. 

FABER,  Father,  50. 

Fathers  and  Doctors  of  Eastern 
and  Western  Church  recog- 
nized supreme  jurisdiction 
of  See  of  Rome,  80. 

Fenwick,  Bishop  of  Boston,  23. 

Foley,  Bishops,  23. 

France,  clergy  of,  53. 
National     and     Schismatic 
Church    founded    by    Na- 
poleon I,  3. 

Struggle  against  heresy  in 

Sixteenth  Century,  6. 
French  Revolution,  53. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  under- 
takes  important  mission 
to  Canada,  18. 

GAMALIEL,  7. 

Georgetown  College,  12. 

Germany,  5-81. 

Gibbon,  Historian,  5. 

Gilmour,  Bishop,  112. 

Gordon,  Lord  George,  riots,  62. 

Gospel,  St.  Matthew's,  2. 

Grant,  General,  238. 

Greece,  10. 

Gregory  the  Great,  Pope,  48-54- 
81. 

Gregory  IX,  Pope,  83. 

Gross,  Bishop  of  Oregon,  23. 


2S2 


INDEX 


HALLAM,  Historian,  9. 
Harper,  Mayor  of  New  York, 

36. 
Hay,  Bishop,  50. 
Heine,  Heinrich,  42. 
Heiss,  Most  Rev.  Michael,  148. 
Henni,    Archbishop,    Pioneer 
Apostle  of  Wisconsin,  148. 
Henry  VIII,  National  Church 

in  England,  3. 
Heresies    during   the   Fourth 

and  Fifth  Centuries,  6. 
Hierarchy,   English  -  speaking 

established,  49-50. 
Hogan,  Bishop  of  Kansas  City, 

140. 
Holy  Innocents,  slaughter  of, 

163. 
Howard,  Governor,  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame,  21. 
Site  for  Baltimore  Cathedral 

purchased  from,  21. 
Statue  of,  at  Mount  Vernon 
Place,  21. 
Huns,    invasion   of   Southern 

Europe,  5. 
Hughes,   Archbishop   of  New 
York,  15-136. 
Remarkable  administration 

of,  35. 
Scholarly  ability  of,  36-37. 

IMMIGRANTS,  blessing  to 
Church  in  the  United 
States,  13. 


Immigrants,  contribute  to 
growth  and  expansion  of 
Metropolitan  See,  43-150. 

Influx  of,  to  Wisconsin,  149. 
Infidelity,     insistent     foe     of 

Church,  3. 
Ireland,  alone  remains  true  to 
Holy  Faith,  6. 

Apostolic  zeal  of  mission- 
aries, 176. 

Conversion  of  kings  by  St. 
Patrick,  173. 

Converted  without  blood- 
shed, 174. 

Cromwellian  invasion  of,  180. 

Education  denied  people  of, 
181-2. 

Encouraging  progress  in  re- 
ligious, political  and  eco- 
nomic spheres  of  activity, 
184. 

Failure  of  persecutions  to 
interfere  with  loyalty  of 
Faith  in,  183. 

Fame  of  schools,  176. 

Happy  effects  of  conversion 
in,  174. 

Hardships  of  clergy  during 
persecutions,  182. 

History  of,  inseparable  from 
her  Christianity,  186. 

Home  Rule  Bill  in,  184. 

Land  Act  in,  185. 

Missionaries  from,  81. 

Peaceful  condition  of,  from 
Fifth  to  Eighth  Century, 
175. 


INDEX 


283 


Ireland,  penal  laws  in,  181-2. 
Rapid  conversion  of,  173. 
Violent  persecutions  in,  180. 
"Work  of  English  and  Irish 
Statesmen    in    remedying 
vicious  laws  in,  184. 

Irish,    religious    zeal    of,    in 
North  America,  176. 
Steadfastness     of     Faith 
among  the,  179. 

JAPAN,  81. 
Jenkins,  Michael,  239. 
Treasurer  of  Catholic  Uni- 
versity, 244-5-6. 

KENRICK,  Archbishop,  por- 
tico of  Baltimore  Cathe- 
dral constructed  by,  23. 

Kenrick,  Archbishop,  25-108- 
229-230. 

LANGTON,  Stephen,  Cardinal 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
great  assistance  in  secur 
Ing  Charter  of  Liberty,  49 

Law,  American  ecclesiastical 
framed  in  Baltimore  Ca 
thedral,  15. 

Latrobe,  Benjamin  Henry, 
Architect  of  Baltimore  Ca- 
thedral, 22. 

Leo  XIII,  Pope,  54-88-90-97-99. 
Sketch  of  life,  82. 
Encyclical*  on  Christian  Mar- 
riage, 83. 


Leo  XIII,  Pope,  condition  of 
workmen,  84. 

Constitution  of  Christian 
States,  85. 

Leo  X,  Pope,  100. 

Lingard,  Dr.,  50. 

Logue,  Cardinal,  Archbishop  of 

Armagh,  30. 
Loughlin,  Bishop  of  Brooklyn, 

Apostolic  zeal  of,  129-130. 

Lulworth  Castle,  Chapel  of, 
Bishop  Carroll  consecrted 
in,  31. 

MAGNA  CHARTA,  source  of 
English  civil  and  political 
freedom,  49. 

Manning,  Cardinal,  repre- 
sented at  Centenary  cele- 
bration of  establishment 
of  American  Catholic  hier- 
archy in  Baltimore,  48. 

Cardinal,  literary  labor  and 
Apostolic  life  of,  50. 

Cardinal,  93. 
Mareschal,    Archbishop,   dedi- 
cated Baltimore  Cathedral, 
22. 
Remains    interred    beneath 
sanctuary     of     Baltimore 
Cathedral,  25. 
Archbishop,  1-15-22-229. 
Mareschal,  Rev.  Dr.,  118. 
Martinelli,  Cardinal,  invested 
with  insignia  of  Cardinal 
in    Baltimore    Cathedral, 
24. 


284 


INDEX 


Maryland,  founded  by  English 

Catholics,  56. 
Maxentius,  defeated  at  Milvian 

Bridge,   4. 
Methodius,    looked    upon    as 

Apostle  of  Russia,  81. 

Milner,  Dr.,  61. 

Mohammedanism,  conflict  of 
Church  against,  from  Sev- 
enth to  Sixteenth  Centur- 
ies,  6. 
Vigilance  of  Bishops  of  "Rome 
against,  99. 

Moran,  Cardinal,  93. 

Mt.    St.    Mary's   College,   Em- 

mitsburg,  108. 
Mt.   Vernon,    pilgrimages    to, 

by  American  citizens,  25. 

McCloskey,  Rt.  Rev.  John, 
Bishop  of  New  York,  1864, 
36. 

Prominent  in  Second  Plen- 
ary Council  of  Baltimore, 
37. 

First  Cardinal  created  on 
American  soil,  38. 

Distance  traveled  to  attend 
Mass  when  a  boy,  128. 

McHale,  Archbishop,  first  Prel- 
ate since  Reformation  who 
received  all  his  education 
In  native  land,  182. 

NAPOLEON  I.  oppression  of 
French  Episcopate,  3. 

Napoleon,  144. 


National  Council,  First,  pre- 
sided over  by  Archbishop 
Kenrick  in  1852,  24. 

Second,  presided  over  by 
Archbishop  Spalding  in 
1866,  24. 

Third,  presided  over  by 
Archbishop  Gibbons  In 
1884,  24. 

National  shortcomings  due  to 
indifference,  lethargy  and 
political  apostacy,  214. 

Neale,  Archbishop  of  Balti- 
more, 118-229. 

Nero,  Garden  of.  Christians 
tortured  in,  4. 

New  England,  remarkable 
change  in  religious  belief, 
119-20. 

Newman,  John  Henry,  Cardi- 
nal, 49-50-63-88-93. 

New  Jersey,  State  of,  40. 

New  York,  diocese  of,  cente- 
nary celebration,  31. 

In  early  days  comprised 
whole  State  of  New  York 
and  eastern  portion  of 
New  Jersey,  33. 

State  of,  40. 

New  Zealand,  51. 

Nice,  First  General  Council  of, 
80. 
North  America,  Evangeliza- 
tion of,  81. 

OSCOTT,  Synod  of,  63. 


INDEX 


285 


PAGANISM,  continual  warfare 
of  the  Church  against,  3. 

Patriotism,  necessary  conse- 
quence of  love  for  God, 
152. 

All  important  for  stability 
and  permanence  of  Repub- 
lic, 210. 

Penal  laws,  20. 

Pentecost,  Church  commences 
active  career,  3. 

Persecutions,  Church  passed 
through  series  of  ten,  4. 

Pise,  136. 

Pius  VI,  Bull  creating  hier- 
archy of  Catholic  Church 
In  United  States,  17. 

Plus  VII,  Elevates  Baltimore 
toArchlepiscopal  See,  1808, 
32. 

Long  Reign  of,  83. 

Plus  IX,  long  reign  of,  83. 

Plus  X,  homage  and  reverence 
of  Prelates  to,  56. 

Pius  X,  92-93-95-97-99. 

Plantagenets,  32. 

Plowden,  Rev.  Chas.,  31-58. 

Pope  Alexander,  49. 

Exiled  from  See  and  coun- 
try, 3. 

Presidential  contest  of  1876, 
Tilden  and  Hayes,  209. 

Priests,  number  of  ordained, 
by  Cardinal  Gibbons,  23. 

Purcell,  Bishop,  23. 


REFORMATION,  Protestant, 
temporary  success  of,  179. 

Religious  revolution  of  Six- 
teenth Century,  6. 

Connection  of,  with  educa- 
tion, 196. 

Roman  Empire  unable  to  crush 
Church  or  arrest  progress,  5. 

Extent  of,  125-126. 

Rome,  10. 

Runnymede,  plains  of,  49. 

Russia,  81. 

Ryder,  15. 

SANCTITY,  characteristics 
of,  252. 

Sarto,  Cardinal  (later  Pius  X), 
conduct  during  Papal  Con- 
clave, 96-97. 

Satolli,  Cardinal,  invested  with 
insignia  of  cardinalitial 
rank,  24. 

Scotland,  81. 

Scythia,  barbarians  of,  5. 

Shakespeare,  49. 

Sheridan,  Philip,  General, 
death  lamented  by  North 
and  South,  235-237-238-239. 

Southern  Europe,  Invasion  of, 

5. 
Spalding,  Archbishop,  218. 

Consecrates  Bishop  Gibbons, 
25-30-31-82-229. 

Pioneer  in  Catholic  Univers- 
ity movement,  195. 


286 


INDEX 


Spalding,    Archbishop,    devo- 
tion   to    Blessed    Virgin, 
225. 
Defender  of  Faith,  226. 

Remarkable  constructive 
work  in  Archdiocese  of 
Baltimore,  228. 

Spalding,  Henrietta,  mother  of 
Archbishop,  217. 

Sistine  Chapel,  95. 

St.  Ambrose,  247. 

St.  Andrew,  73. 

St.  Augustine,  48-52-73-81-230. 
~  St.  Basil,  137. 

St.  Boniface,  81. 

St.  Chrysostom,  73. 

St.  Cyril,  81. 

St.  Francis  de  Sales,  108. 

St.  Gregory  of  Nanzianzen,  137. 

St.  Jane  de  Chantal,  108. 

St.  John  Baptist,  159. 

St.  John's  Seminary,  Boston, 
122. 

St.  Joseph,  companion  of  Mary, 
162. 
Man   of   unparalleled    sanc- 
tify, 165. 

St.  Luke,  161. 

St.  Mary's  Baltimore,  12. 

St.  Omer's,  school  attended  by 
Archbishop  Carroll,  18. 

St.  Paul,  Apostle  of  Nations, 
30-73-104-107-144-182-257- 
258-263-266. 


St.  Patrick,  Apostle  of  Ireland, 
30-48-52-73-172. 

Birthplace  of,  172. 

Consecrated   Bishop  by   St. 

Maximus,  Bishop  of  Turin, 

172. 
Commissioned  to  preach 

Gospel  to  Irish  by  Pope 

St.  Celestine,  172. 
St.   Patrick's  Cathedral,  New 

York,     land     secured    by 

Archbishop  Hughes,  41. 

Building  erected  by  Cardinal 
McCloskey,  41. 

Work    completed   by   Arch- 
bishop Corrigan,  41. 

St.  Peter,  73-83. 

St.  Peter's,  Basilica  of,  28-101. 

First    Catholic    Church    in 
New  York  City,  40-148. 
St.  Thomas,  106. 
Starrs,  136. 

TAFT,  William  Howard,  212. 

Taney,  Chief  Justice  of  United 

States,  84-216. 
Taschereau,  Cardinal,  89-90-92. 

Temple  of  Jerusalem,  con- 
ceived by  David,  built  by 
Solomon,  75. 

UNITED  STATES,  105. 

Duties  of  citizens,  145. 

Safety  and  permanence  of 
Republic  depends  on  auto- 
nomy of  the  several  States, 
209. 


INDEX 


287 


United  States,  political  prob- 
lems of,  145. 
Senators,  direct  election  of, 
145-146. 

Universities  of  Europe,  nearly 
all  founded  and  endowed 
by  Churcli,  10. 

"VANDALS  overrun  Southern 

Europe,  5. 
Vatican  Council,  80-87-222. 

Museum  of,  10. 
Vaughn,  Cardinal,  92. 
Venice,  See  of  Pius  X,  97. 
Visigoths,  invade  Europe,  5. 
Voltairism,  60. 

WALMESLEY,  Bishop,  Vicar 
Apostolic  of  the  London 
District,  Bishop  Carroll 
consecrated  by,  17-31. 


Walmesley,  Bishop,  Vicar 
Apostolic  of  the  London 
District,  Eminent  Scient- 
ist, 58. 

Washington,  George,  84-144-212. 

Weld,  Thomas,  Esq.,  31. 

Cardinal,  son  of  Thomas  and 
conspicuous  member  of 
Sacred  College,  58. 

Westminster,  Diocese  of,  47. 

Wight,  Isle  of,  56. 

Williams,  Archbishop,  part 
played  in  religious  devel- 
opment of  New  England, 
121. 

Wiseman,  Cardinal,  50. 

Whelan,  Bishop,  23. 

White,  Doctor,  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons baptised  by,  25. 

Whitfield,  Archbishop,  15-23-25- 
229. 


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